Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

tomterm8

It is not snowing here, thank ***.

I am fragile today. I still have the cold, and yesterday our winter logs came. We got a treble load, so I ended up putting away 3 tons of wood.

Ironically, I didn't feel that bad yesterday, but feel very achy today.

lostinrates

misskool wrote: »

<raises hand>

what did you want to do?

lemonjelly

vivatifosi wrote: »

Which also raises an interesting point. How many of us had ambitions to do some job or another when we were at school and then ended up doing something totally different?

I never knew what I wanted to do, & still don't have a clue. Baby Spice's personal sex toy was the only thing I ever came up with.

I've always known what I didn't want to do...

lemonjelly

tomterm8 wrote: »

It is not snowing here, thank ***.

I am fragile today. I still have the cold, and yesterday our winter logs came. We got a treble load, so I ended up putting away 3 tons of wood.

Ironically, I didn't feel that bad yesterday, but feel very achy today.

LIR's post had me concerned. I'm in a windowless pit, so don't get to see the weather anymore.:( Hate it.

I'm hoping the snow holds of for 3 weeks. It can snow all it likes in January, as maybe they'll close the college - extra hols!:D

chewmylegoff

vivatifosi wrote: »

Which also raises an interesting point. How many of us had ambitions to do some job or another when we were at school and then ended up doing something totally different?

I wanted to be a premiership footballer or a pop star. I nearly dropped out after lower VIth to work in a toothpaste factory where I did work experience. God I am glad now that I didn't do that. Fraud investigations are more exciting than toothpaste. And the pay is a little better too!

chewmylegoff

lemonjelly wrote: »

I got my mum a proper pair of sheepskin style mittens. Remember them? Keep your hands ridiculously warm in the cold.
Mum always seems to have cold hands.
Got em from the german market in Brum.

I might nick this idea! The best I've come up with so far is some fancy marmalade jars.

Hope you spent more time eating bratwurst and fried potatoes than shopping, as that is what german markets are really for.

SingleSue

vivatifosi wrote: »

I think it is an underrated choice, but it is much harder studying part time and it takes so long to get to the same point. I think gap years are a great compromise.

It appeared to have worked for me until hubby left and threw all my plans up in the air. I left school at 16, went full time in what had been my part time job at the arcade and then at nearly 17, found a job in an office.

Over the next 3 years, worked my socks off, did as much overtime as I possibly could, swapped companies (and areas of shipping) a few times and climbed the promotion ladder extremely quickly until at age 20, I was earning in the high rate tax bracket.

This was all during the late 80's, early 90's recession! To be honest, we couldn't see what everyone was moaning about, we had plenty of money and enjoyed a very good life (it is why I can understand why some can't understand what is going on now, they are probably in the same sort of position we were in and not feeling it)

It is only now I am regretting the decision not to further my studies when I was young, years ago I could get away with my attention to detail and enthusiasm over experience and qualifications, or even the word of mouth from the various dock runners I dealt with to other company bosses (which led to me being head hunted), now, everything appears to be qualification based and without a degree, there appears to be begger all chance.

Most of the jobs I apply for I could do standing on my head while singing Phantom of the Opera but because I don't have a piece of paper saying I went to a certain university, or attended a certain course in that area of employment, I rarely get to interview stage, it doesn't seem to matter that I have years of experience.

I remember one phone call I made to ask for an application form, the first question was " Do you have 5 GCSE's?", well, being born when I was and going to school when I did, I didn't do GCSE's, according to her, they had to be GCSE's (I do have one GCSE which I did at night school when eldest was very young).

No amount of trying to explain that GCSE's were not available and my O levels were the old style equivalent would get through.....she refused to send an application out.

Trying to fit the OU courses around the children is not the easiest thing in the world and the struggle to do so means that my marks are not what they should be all the time, it's pretty hard to concentrate when you are running around trying to keep a child on an even keel or running from hospital to doctor to physio etc and you barely have the time to go to the loo let alone sit down and study. This is made worse by my exacting standards, I cannot abide failure and to me, the sometimes lower than I have set myself marks mean failure (I have always been a high achiever and anything less than top marks is eek to me, I crave perfection)

So, I fail in my eyes....and then I get stressed out because of it.

Wheezy_2

chewmylegoff wrote: »

I might nick this idea! The best I've come up with so far is some fancy marmalade jars.

Last year I bought mum fancy jams....raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, gooseberry...etc...two jars of each + honey and manuka (sp?) honey that was on promo in Holland and Barret. She was well happy with it

SingleSue

vivatifosi wrote: »

Which also raises an interesting point. How many of us had ambitions to do some job or another when we were at school and then ended up doing something totally different?

I ended up doing something completely different...I wanted to be a nurse (a specialised one) but ended up in the corporate world!

My second choice was to work with children who had disabilities, got my wish when I volunteered for a year at the playgroup two of my boys attended and discovered I absolutely hated working with young children, I'm not cut out to play patty cake and play with play dough, I want to teach them how to count, spell, do percentages and basically learn about the world around them (but I am not cut out to be a teacher either - I get annoyed when people don't want to learn!)

misskool

chewmylegoff wrote: »

I might nick this idea! The best I've come up with so far is some fancy marmalade jars.

Hope you spent more time eating bratwurst and fried potatoes than shopping, as that is what german markets are really for.

http://www.heatinaclick.com/

Reusable heat pads. You click and you get warmth. Lasts a few hours