What makes you happy ?

Want anything from the shop?
No thanks
[goes to shop... returns]
Where’s my chocolate?

I don’t usually miss these “I know I didn’t say it but you’d better not forget” moments….. and I should have a ‘womanspeak’ category.

The Facebook default for an image is just so appropriate.

(and do I care that I’m using a blanket term? No. Why? Well if they won’t put their own house in order they can all live in it together. Do I care if no-one else joins? No – it’s still somewhere for me to vent. And do I care if they hold it against me? I didn’t get to this point of view without reason did I?)

Is there a point to social workers? Do they ever do anything when they aren’t off the sick? Do they actually agree to take tasks instead of directing them to others? Do they possess spines? Do they ever agree to get anything done by any time? Are we better off without them? Has one ever done anything good? If so did the others ostracise them because a precedent could be set? Why don’t people slap into reality those that want to train to “help people” and choose the most slovenly career? Is managing social workers akin to managing sleeping people? How do they justify whatever they are paid because whatever it is it will be too much.

Social workers are a complete waste of time, energy and oxygen.

—–

Two social workers were walking through a rough part of the city in the evening. They heard moans and muted cries for help from a back alley. Upon investigation, they found a semi-conscious man in a pool of blood.

“Help me, I’ve been mugged and viciously beaten.” he pleaded.

The two social workers turned and walked away.

One remarked to her colleague, “You know the person that did this really needs help.”

—–

There isn’t a facebook group “Social workers are f*cking useless”.
Maybe I should create it.

It cost just shy of £500, it’s got bright yellow metalwork and it’s just enabled me and J to shop together for the first time in over a year. I don’t think I can possibly convey how good that felt. Even going round the women’s clothes section multiple times didn’t bug me.
Sitting in there and being pushed was a major event for J. Really was a big one. The environment was okay – not too busy, known – and we were both in the right mood. It has the big wheels with rims so she can manouvre a bit but her grip is poor and her arm strength isn’t so great – but it does mean she doesn’t feel entirely helpless.

It was as good a time as could be hoped for given the circumstances.

Late saturday night and it’s just me and J. Both girls are put – one overnight, one to a late party. It’s very odd being an offspring-free zone of an evening.

D is currently not the postman’s best friend. She’s requested a few dozen University Prospectuses (Prospectii?) which she pores over as each pile drop through the letterbox. She’s decided that she wants to experience the whole student thing so Leicester is off the menu. But she wants somewhere within fairly easy driving range – no doubt for the ‘Daaaaaaaaaad’ when she needs money and also for laundry / rations. Which seems reasonable. And next month she turns 17. The driving course is booked and paid for. She has managed to save (for once) and has her eyes on a yellow Ka (and we are going to be sure we are around for the tax, the insurance, the petrol, the repairs… we have told her to find a guy who knows cars.) So my little girl will be driving in a couple of months and is starting her last year of living at home. Time has flown, it really has.

Today we went to look at wheelchairs. We have an electric scooter but it weighs heaps and you can’t totally trust batteries. We seem to have found a decent model. J wants it in yellow so when they have it in the shop we’ll hand over something like £375 for it – that’s nearly the cost of a PS3!

D found some money in my Paypal account and bought something from DieselSweeties last week. She’s really been looking forward to it arriving.
It did. And after she’s followed the trail of 40+ Post-It notes around the house and garden it’s all hers. :) She’ll love me :)

We went out for a meal last night to celebrate my getting older and greyer and this morning I have a hangover. The bad headache, feeling sick and that weird sweating you get when you feel really ill. It’s not a good feeling and one I hoped I had left behind.
Normally I’d drink the alcohol-free Kaliber when I want a change and I don’t have a problem. Last night I had 3 bottles of the Becks no-alcohol version. This isn’t a food-feel-ill thing, it’s definitely the Becks that has done it. Probably some odd chemical they use / add but there is no way I’m drinking it again.
But it was a most excellent evening. Very very good :)

Yesterday was the occasion of the bi-annual garage clean / sort.
I found my Sony MiniDisc player complete with several MD’s (AJ – I have a shiny blue disc full of VNV Nation. I’ve learned to smile since so do you want it back? ;) ) and it all appears to be in working order. I have no idea what to do with it though. None. I recall saying to drDave many moons ago that the MD was cool and that mp3 players weren’t that hot. He said that as Japan had moved so would everyone and he was not wrong. Be good to have something to use it for. (I have the same problem with my Psion 5, it too just sits there unemployed.)

I have a couple of boxes of books in there and as I’m down to my last book – De Niro bio – I dug around. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff is excellent. Totally recommended for everyone. Brings necessary perspective to tasks. Another was Generation X. How to get attention – make your book cover bright pink. I’ve read it before, I’m sure I’ll remember key parts but it’s time to read again. In – I think – 2000 I was running a group home on the outskirts of the city and one day on the way in bought a copy of the now-defunct Arcade magazine. With it came an abridged paperback of Game Over. If you are into videogames and you haven’t read it consider this an essential read. It’s also an increasingly rare one – a UK seller has it in for £36.27. Very good book.
Lastly was Microserfs. As I grabbed this and other books it fell open at page 340. And what do we have on there? A tag cloud. Okay so it’s called a ‘subconscious file’ but it looks like a tag cloud. For some reason I found that very amusing. I also thought it was an excellent book and it too is now queued for re-discovery.

And I’ve cleared a section of shelving for the video games. Each system (Megadrive, SNES, N64, Lynx, some GB/GBA/GBC, PS, DC) needs a box of it’s own. Dust is easily removed but deterioration of the boxes and carts due to being moved around isn’t so good. I think I need to trawl ebay for some classics too.

The girls have the day of college and have gone with J to see Mr J.Depp as Cpt J. Sparrow in POTC 3.
That leaves me here in relative peace and tranquility.
Excellent.
I still have work, cleaning, laundry, dog to walk, bike to fix and patio to weed but at least I can do it without that noisy rabble.
Good stuff.

Isn’t is amazing just how much more you can get done when others aren’t around chattering away?