Nice people thread part 6 - thrice by twice as nice :)

CKhalvashi

silvercar wrote: »

I'm home and back.

Feeling a little weird. There is a certain detachment, because all the events of the last 2 weeks were in Cardiff and now I'm home and the house is exactly the same (except for the piles of washing ).

The short story is that Dad went into hospital for some tests to identify what the immediate problem was, he deteriorated each day and passed away 6 days later. Then we had the funeral and an official mourning period and now I'm home.

How am I feeling? Sometimes I'm fine and sometimes I'm not. I have a circle of supportive friends in RL and that certainly helps.

OH and I are thinking of you guys!

CK

PasturesNew

zagubov wrote: »

Got to figure out what DS can do for a living. His talents are not yet materialising (has some maths proficiency though), and we're all aware of his challenges.

Any and all ideas welcome.:)

Gigolo, raconteur and beach bum.

CKhalvashi

PasturesNew wrote: »

Gigolo, raconteur and beach bum.

Nor really funny, but did make me laugh :T

Zag, everyone finds what they will do in life somewhere along the line, and the talents will materialise at some time in near future!

CK

Davesnave

PasturesNew wrote: »

People didn't get rewarded for exams etc in my day .... not just me, I wasn't aware of anybody getting a bung or gift from their parents.

I think the 11+ bicycle was fairly universal.

My parents said I'd get a bike, whether I passed or not.

They didn't tell me that it would be second-hand and not very modern! :rotfl:

vivatifosi

fc123 wrote: »

I know what you mean but it's unlikely you would be a mean mother (as you put it) cos you adapt the to the child as and when.
sadly, I was brought up with the phrases such as ' coming 2nd doesn't count'' and other choice ones like 'No such word as can't' etc. Now I wonder wy I am neurotic.

Neurotic poeple are slim Micheals cos we tremble inside and it burns calories I think.

My granddad was like that fc. He'd say things like "nobody is ever famous for coming second" and "be what you want to be in life, but be the absolute best at it, if you want to be a binman, that's fine, but be the best binman" (before going off into how to time and motion study the job). Then he'd not allow the kids to win at things when they were 7 or 8 because it's important to learn how to compete in life.

I absolutely adored him though, he took each of his grandchildren, worked out what we were good at and then nurtured the chosen ones to extremes, in my case I was good at shooting so we'd spend 3 hours a day on many days target shooting with air pistols and air rifles (hence the comment above). He didn't get on with my brother because he didn't find something he excelled at and I didn't realise until later the extent to which my Mum stood up to him to stop him moulding "mini me's". Even now I can't hear him criticised because he was my hero. He was brilliant at so many things: he played football professionally, played about 30 different types of musical instruments and was supreme in his artisan crafts. He was brave enough as a fireman that during the war they climbed on the rooftops of the burning buildings of Woolwich to put out fires not thinking they would get down again. However I also have to acknowledge that he was a very hard and complex individual who nobody in their right mind crossed. Thankfully I'm not neurotic, but a lot of my extended family members are after such an upbringing.

fc123 wrote: »

Sadly, I can't read the copy we had as it disintegrated along with the Simon Cowell bio ~(no, not mine, OH read that one )
Pages just fell out. They must have skipmed on the glue solution.

Making paperbacks to cost is increasingly common (eta: google mass market paperbacks). Pages of library books now often fall out after a few reads. In "ye olden days" (1970s and earlier) libraries had binding machines that warmed up the glue and you stuck the pages back in and waited for them to cool down. I used to love doing that as library prefect. Now it is considered so dangerous warming up solvents that even the staff aren't allowed to do it. Let alone unpaid child labour.

PasturesNew

vivatifosi wrote: »

...

So many posh alerts in there I can't highlight them all! And if you can't spot them, that's because you're posh

PasturesNew

I hate packing... nearly got the car loaded. It's not a lot of stuff, but I have to have a sit down after every box/case. And I've been having trouble with my right hand/arm. It was just hurting before ... but since yesterday it's been going all numb and pins/needles. As I type, my 3 smallest fingers are tingling.

... and even when I've got the car packed.... I've got to unpack the bugg4h at the other end!!

I HATE it!!

PasturesNew

Davesnave wrote: »

I think the 11+ bicycle was fairly universal.

My parents said I'd get a bike, whether I passed or not.

They didn't tell me that it would be second-hand and not very modern! :rotfl:

I had a bike before I was 11. We used to get the hand-me-downs from next door, first it was two small tricycles, then there was a bike.... I think I was 10 before I'd grown into that bike - although it could be ridden by standing on the pedals from when I was about 8-9 - and before that age I remember sitting on the seat and my mum pushing me along the path of the garden on it.

When I was about 15 I got a bigger bike, proper lady's bike with a basket. I remember mum bought it from somebody she worked with for £5. I stopped using that when I had been working 6 months and bought a moped for the 6 mile journey to work.

chewmylegoff

zagubov wrote: »

I graduated years ago with a good degree but at a time of high unemployment. Had six interviews before I got a post (but had sent over 100 application letters).

Started voluntary work which lead to a permanent job. I had no idea that this was an unusual period in the economy.


Got to figure out what DS can do for a living. His talents are not yet materialising (has some maths proficiency though), and we're all aware of his challenges.

Any and all ideas welcome.:)

i graduated in 2000. my job hunting plan went like this:

1) get into a top 10 university
2) work hard get a 1st
3) apply for any old job, i'll probably get it.

that's exactly what i did. i applied to accountancy firms because i started reading the university careers guide in alphabetical order, and i didn't have a maths degree so had to flick past "actuary". i didn't know what to do, and getting paid to get a professional qualification seemed like a good idea, so i just did that.

i went to four interviews and got offers for two of them. i probably would have got offers for the first two as well if i had bothered to find out what accountancy was before going to them. the second two were for smaller firms which were desperate for staff. in my intake, starting work in 2000, the firm i went to work for had 7 london offices, two in central london and 5 in the suburbs. they could not fill the graduate and school leaver jobs for the outer offices, there were one or two unfilled vacancies in most (and they were only recruiting 4/5 people max into each).

imagine that now. would be completely unheard of, and with the approach i took i would be unlikely to get a job, certainly not with the size of firm i trained with. these days in order to get into the firm i trained with, you need an oxbridge degree, worked as an intern in a relevant job every summer at uni, and to have cured cancer during your gap year. i reckon they could still recruit people of the caliber that my intake had by offering the starting salary that i joined on (£18k).

chewmylegoff

Olympics travel watch:

6.45am train from richmond to waterloo - completely rammed. Fully of useless t0sspots all going to the olympics. jubilee line at waterloo was similar but not quite as full, but as all the useless t0sspots going to the olympics wanted to board the train as slowly as possible and then stand in the doorway and not move down inside, bad chewy emerged, and i pushed in at the front of the queue and barged a couple of people dressed in flags.

left home 6.25, got to work 7.25. not too bad. however...power failure in the work cafeteria. no coffee. fail.

i'll try the 6.21am slow train tomorrow morning...