Nice People Thread Number 11 - A Treasury of Nice People

Generali

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Wow, 10 over-excited primary school children! Did you have company to help corral the multitudes?

I had some last minute help. I told a Dad who is an anesthetist my cancer story.

He decided, all of a sudden, that rather than having a couple of hours off he urgently wanted to watch the Lego Movie too and was very happy to help me shepherd the kids around the shopping centre as he just happened to be around now.

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

My feminist self dislikes saying this, but on the whole, women comedians are often just less funny than male ones, in my experience. Jo Brand is particularly unamusing.

There are loads of really funny comediennes on the pub/club circuit or at least there used to be about a decade ago when I had the time and money to go to those sorts of places. Those women I was watching 10 years ago should be breaking through from BBC2 to BBC1 right now. They're probably still doing the Banana Cafe on a Saturday night still if they haven't simply given up.

Most often they don't make the penultimate step from the pubs to the big clubs/radio let alone making that final leap onto the TV.

IMHO most of the comediennes on TV & Radio are there for tokenism rather than because they're any good. That's a shame because there are loads of really funny women trying to make a living from comedy.

The funniest famous woman that I get to hear at the moment (and you will too) is probably Sandi Toksvig. She is genuinely funny (or has good writers which amounts to the same thing) and has great timing.

We have a comedienne over here called Cal Wilson who is genuinely hilarious.

There's a male double act, the Umbilical Brothers, who do kids TV but also do very adult comedy act. They are very funny, the funniest Aussies since the Rubber Bishops I think. They do an amazing version of Nina Simone's Feeling Good. I can't find it on You Tube but I think it's quite new.

It does get a bit weird sometimes that very adult humour and kids TV presenters present adult comedy using glove puppets. Having said that, Aussies think that it's really weird that you can buy booze in the same place as nappies. Aussies would rather that their kids heard the word f... than got drunk aged 14. I think some Britons feel that it's the other way around.

Aussies are really weird about their bodies though. Many (most?) men put their underpants on with their towel wrapped around them still when at the gym/swimming pool. Going topless on the beach is possibly a criminal offence if a child is around in NSW (depending on which newspaper you read and when).

neverdespairgirl

Generali wrote: »

I had some last minute help. I told a Dad who is an anesthetist my cancer story.

He decided, all of a sudden, that rather than having a couple of hours off he urgently wanted to watch the Lego Movie too and was very happy to help me shepherd the kids around the shopping centre as he just happened to be around now.

Aussies are really weird about their bodies though. Many (most?) men put their underpants on with their towel wrapped around them still when at the gym/swimming pool. Going topless on the beach is possibly a criminal offence if a child is around in NSW (depending on which newspaper you read and when).

My Granny reckoned an ounce of help is worth a pound of sympathy - sounds like your mate had the right idea!

Can't comment on men getting dressed at gyms and swimming pools, it's rather outside my experience. But in netball changing rooms and gyms, women usually do put on bras and pants under towels or other clothes, IME. And the vast majority of women in swimming pool changing rooms have a shower while still wearing swimming costumes.

LydiaJ

vivatifosi wrote: »

My pet hate though us getting a work email from someone I barely know, who signs their name and then add an x. I have no problem with that in a social setting, but at work it is a bit weird.

Nikkster wrote: »

No kisses in work-related communications.

When I type smilies in board posts, emails or texts, it's because I would smile if I was actually saying it to the person. Since I've no intention of kissing the people to whom I address board posts, emails and texts, I don't sign my name with an x.

I think I remember that 20-something years ago before I was married I used to put x's on the end of handwritten letters to LNE. That was a different life though.

Generali

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

My Granny reckoned an ounce of help is worth a pound of sympathy - sounds like your mate had the right idea!

Can't comment on men getting dressed at gyms and swimming pools, it's rather outside my experience. But in netball changing rooms and gyms, women usually do put on bras and pants under towels or other clothes, IME. And the vast majority of women in swimming pool changing rooms have a shower while still wearing swimming costumes.

In the UK, men just take their clothes off in a large, open room and then put new ones one. Sometimes they will clean themselves in between changes of clothes as required.

It's very odd to me that people struggle into wet undies and probably get yeast infections so nobody else with a penis sees their penis.

PasturesNew

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

...women usually do put on bras and pants under towels or other clothes, IME. And the vast majority of women in swimming pool changing rooms have a shower while still wearing swimming costumes.

I'd never go anywhere where things were different.....

neverdespairgirl

Generali wrote: »

In the UK, men just take their clothes off in a large, open room and then put new ones one. Sometimes they will clean themselves in between changes of clothes as required.

It's very odd to me that people struggle into wet undies and probably get yeast infections so nobody else with a penis sees their penis.

So OH tells me. But he did leave a changing room ASAP after swimming when a 2 year old Isaac, struggling with producing double-consonant sounds, pointed and said loudly, "Look Abba! Big C0ck!" at a timepiece on the wall after swimming.

vivatifosi

Just finished the week 5 lectures for the Behavioural Economics course. Really enjoyed the Hedy Kober lecture, as it gives a practical toolkit that you can apply to your own life way beyond the course. Did anyone else like that one?

Generali

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

So OH tells me. But he did leave a changing room ASAP after swimming when a 2 year old Isaac, struggling with producing double-consonant sounds, pointed and said loudly, "Look Abba! Big C0ck!" at a timepiece on the wall after swimming.

Last time I went proper swimming over here, quite a while ago, there was a midget in the change room with an absolute kidney swiper, he was huge.

I almost said what Isaac said.

vivatifosi wrote: »

Just finished the week 5 lectures for the Behavioural Economics course. Really enjoyed the Hedy Kober lecture, as it gives a practical toolkit that you can apply to your own life way beyond the course. Did anyone else like that one?

I gave up the course due to being a complete mess and having greater priorities. I will do it next time.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

That was the problem with Jo Brand.

I don't find Jo Brand funny at all.

Generali wrote: »

The funniest famous woman that I get to hear at the moment (and you will too) is probably Sandi Toksvig. She is genuinely funny (or has good writers which amounts to the same thing) and has great timing.

I really like Sandi Toksvig too. Victoria Coren is great also, though she probably wouldn't label herself as a comedienne. Actually I think she is a pretty amazing woman. Very interesting.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

I gave up the course due to being a complete mess and having greater priorities. I will do it next time.

Well those are some pretty bloody good reasons. I've enjoyed it, though at the moment with an essay due my craving to see the Lego Movie is far greater.