The wish-bones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem
The jaw-bones: Doing all the talking but very little else
The knuckle-bones: Those who knock everything
The back-bones: Those who carry the brunt of the load and do most of the work
Interesting!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Cool recipe finder site from my friend - check it out and feedback
Hello - my friend has just unveiled the beta version of her recipe site. Do check it out - she'd like to have feedback especially if you encounter any problems. To get in touch, simply use the 'contact us' link on the site.
So please go have a fiddle at http://www.cheffy.com/ and you may just solve tonight's dinner problem too.
In advanced search you can find recipes that are gluten free etc., meals under x calories that are a good source of iron, ones that suit kids parties and even desserts that can be made in a certain amount of time you know for when you tasted the tub of Haagen Daaz and accidentally ate the whole thing while watching Eastenders!
You can also set up your own cookbook and meal plan. You'll get the low down on calories per serving and if it's low or high GI. By George - it'll even let you dictate that the recipe is to be for X people, measurements in lbs and with temperature in F.
I'm sure you'll find something in it to bring you web happiness and you will certainly become hungry. Enjoy!
So please go have a fiddle at http://www.cheffy.com/ and you may just solve tonight's dinner problem too.
In advanced search you can find recipes that are gluten free etc., meals under x calories that are a good source of iron, ones that suit kids parties and even desserts that can be made in a certain amount of time you know for when you tasted the tub of Haagen Daaz and accidentally ate the whole thing while watching Eastenders!
You can also set up your own cookbook and meal plan. You'll get the low down on calories per serving and if it's low or high GI. By George - it'll even let you dictate that the recipe is to be for X people, measurements in lbs and with temperature in F.
I'm sure you'll find something in it to bring you web happiness and you will certainly become hungry. Enjoy!
Faking it hits the big time
This article is a real insight into how advanced excuses for being late/not at work have become. Your phone can even play traffic jam noises in the background and there's a world of nutty web people willing to be accomplices in your treachery.
The guy who wrote this has a kickin' travel diary too which I discovered when thinking about seeking out penguins in Argentina - see http://www.rhymer.net/traveldiaryoptions.htm
The guy who wrote this has a kickin' travel diary too which I discovered when thinking about seeking out penguins in Argentina - see http://www.rhymer.net/traveldiaryoptions.htm
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Bite me - I'm the devil!
Lonely girl, wondering how to survive living alone, seeks pet and goes to animal rescue shelter.
I an shown round by a very kind young girl Jenny. We find a lovely affectionate cat called Ella who keeps head butting me and demanding affection. I cuddle her. We see other cats (I'm really saddened by their stories and the neglect of such beautiful animals) and come back to Ella who I have fallen for with her super soft fat fur coat and loving nature. More cuddles are demanded. More are given.
Suddenly she hisses and scratches my hand for no obvious reason. I am really shocked and also so dissapointed as I thought I'd found the cat for me. It's PMT time, my boss treats me like shit, my love life sucks and I'm moved to tears. In fact I very embarassingly can't stop crying. We see some dogs but all the barking is a bit overwhelming. The rabbits do nothing for me. As a special treat to 'cheer me up' Jenny takes me to see this adorable 12 weeks old puppy Foxy. I stroke him. All of a sudden he growls and snaps at me. "Well that back fired on me - I'm so sorry" says Jenny who escorts this shivering wreck to her car.
I drive home thinking my insatiable urge for pet has been replaced with fear. I also remember animals are a good judge of character and I must be truly evil. I remember my friend's dog in Chicago suddenly growling and then biting me. Also my step dad's dog biting my bum while I was minding my business doing the washing up. I deduce I am the devil incarnate and that makes me very unhappy.
It's so good to be home. I shut the door and go through my post. Suddenly I am aware of something. A black cat is at the top of my stairs looking at me. "Oh bloody hell - now they come to my home to attack me!" That will teach for leaving the cat flap open. She has a big belly and teats and walks funny. Looking for a calm place to have kittens perhaps. She seems hopeful to make a friend as she makes her way back to the cat flap. I call her and she comes but is nervous. I am nervous too. I reach to stroke her after she's sniffed my hand and she jumps to my touch so I leave it there. She rolls around seductively on my rug but I am not sure how to react so I open the front door and allow her to leave without having to do a cat flap and fence in her delicate state.
What a day! Now wrapping the family's presents. Mark is packing for the Sydney trip and then coming over tomorrow. Hurray!
I an shown round by a very kind young girl Jenny. We find a lovely affectionate cat called Ella who keeps head butting me and demanding affection. I cuddle her. We see other cats (I'm really saddened by their stories and the neglect of such beautiful animals) and come back to Ella who I have fallen for with her super soft fat fur coat and loving nature. More cuddles are demanded. More are given.
Suddenly she hisses and scratches my hand for no obvious reason. I am really shocked and also so dissapointed as I thought I'd found the cat for me. It's PMT time, my boss treats me like shit, my love life sucks and I'm moved to tears. In fact I very embarassingly can't stop crying. We see some dogs but all the barking is a bit overwhelming. The rabbits do nothing for me. As a special treat to 'cheer me up' Jenny takes me to see this adorable 12 weeks old puppy Foxy. I stroke him. All of a sudden he growls and snaps at me. "Well that back fired on me - I'm so sorry" says Jenny who escorts this shivering wreck to her car.
I drive home thinking my insatiable urge for pet has been replaced with fear. I also remember animals are a good judge of character and I must be truly evil. I remember my friend's dog in Chicago suddenly growling and then biting me. Also my step dad's dog biting my bum while I was minding my business doing the washing up. I deduce I am the devil incarnate and that makes me very unhappy.
It's so good to be home. I shut the door and go through my post. Suddenly I am aware of something. A black cat is at the top of my stairs looking at me. "Oh bloody hell - now they come to my home to attack me!" That will teach for leaving the cat flap open. She has a big belly and teats and walks funny. Looking for a calm place to have kittens perhaps. She seems hopeful to make a friend as she makes her way back to the cat flap. I call her and she comes but is nervous. I am nervous too. I reach to stroke her after she's sniffed my hand and she jumps to my touch so I leave it there. She rolls around seductively on my rug but I am not sure how to react so I open the front door and allow her to leave without having to do a cat flap and fence in her delicate state.
What a day! Now wrapping the family's presents. Mark is packing for the Sydney trip and then coming over tomorrow. Hurray!
What kind of pate is it? Bird flu pate!
E popped over to lunch with me today and I cooked proper food. Must be Mark's influence. It was about 6 months ago he totally flipped out on me and there in the middle of an aisle, in Marks and Spencers flagship store no less, prized a packet of ready to microwave instant mash out of my fingers. I put it back in the trolley and outraged he told me completely seriously "It's me or the mash! I can't date a girl who buys instant mash". We did however survive the trauma and he's eaten said mash many a time since but I'm, of own will, buying a potato masher to add to my kitchen implements! Now I have since peeled potatoes and mashed them. S was impressed until I told her I'd used new potatoes and left the skins on for nutritional goodness. Apparently you don't mash new potatoes. Learn something new every day!
I digress. So E brought me some of the home made pate she has slaved over. Made from poultry it is super rich and she insists on taking some to the US for her lover out there. The rules on not bringing food in are no challenge to her. "I'll tell them it's bird flu pate!"
I digress. So E brought me some of the home made pate she has slaved over. Made from poultry it is super rich and she insists on taking some to the US for her lover out there. The rules on not bringing food in are no challenge to her. "I'll tell them it's bird flu pate!"
Friday, December 16, 2005
Was that me?
It’s funny how much and what you forget as you get older. S, a very good friend of mine came over and two things she said about the old me shocked me. Or should that be the younger me?
S and I met when I went to work for the advertising agency where she was a Director in charge of client services. Initially I was a temp and then permanent. We kept in touch and it was later we became close friends.
Anyway I was showing her the hairstyles I’d selected from uploading my photo to www.thehairstyler.com and she commented how I had this annoying bit of hair that kept falling into my face when she interviewed me that was enough not to want to work with me or have to resort to some scissors. She then went on to remind me that I was rejected but rang her up and bullied her to give me the job.
I couldn’t remember this and didn’t recognise myself but apparently the younger me was suitably ballsy. Apparently armed with the 3 points the recruitment agent gave me as reasons I wasn’t chosen, I called up and said “Can I talk to you about why I didn’t get the job?” “Point number 1 was … but although it didn’t come up in interview I have done x, y and z” “Does that sound like it’d fit your needs?” “Good, point 2 was …..” “…. So that’s point 3 covered. Do you have any objections regarding my suitability?” “You don’t. Great – then I get the job!”
What was funnier was S’s reaction when I commented about students on their sandwich year wearing inappropriate clothing to the office. We had ‘pots’, ‘kettles’ and ‘black’ as she recalled me in my early/mid twenties surprising her by sauntering round the office with my midriff on show.
Oh dear, oh dear – that’s exactly what I cite today as inappropriate and say I’d never think of doing. Youth – eh!
S and I met when I went to work for the advertising agency where she was a Director in charge of client services. Initially I was a temp and then permanent. We kept in touch and it was later we became close friends.
Anyway I was showing her the hairstyles I’d selected from uploading my photo to www.thehairstyler.com and she commented how I had this annoying bit of hair that kept falling into my face when she interviewed me that was enough not to want to work with me or have to resort to some scissors. She then went on to remind me that I was rejected but rang her up and bullied her to give me the job.
I couldn’t remember this and didn’t recognise myself but apparently the younger me was suitably ballsy. Apparently armed with the 3 points the recruitment agent gave me as reasons I wasn’t chosen, I called up and said “Can I talk to you about why I didn’t get the job?” “Point number 1 was … but although it didn’t come up in interview I have done x, y and z” “Does that sound like it’d fit your needs?” “Good, point 2 was …..” “…. So that’s point 3 covered. Do you have any objections regarding my suitability?” “You don’t. Great – then I get the job!”
What was funnier was S’s reaction when I commented about students on their sandwich year wearing inappropriate clothing to the office. We had ‘pots’, ‘kettles’ and ‘black’ as she recalled me in my early/mid twenties surprising her by sauntering round the office with my midriff on show.
Oh dear, oh dear – that’s exactly what I cite today as inappropriate and say I’d never think of doing. Youth – eh!
What’s better – thoroughly clean or undamaged?
I forgot in seeking out my Bracknell cleaner again how clumsy she is. She’s like a whirlwind how she talks and moves. I can’t work from home when she’s there because it’s non stop chat. She is brilliantly finding every bit of dirt and dealing with it. Just means each visit something doesn’t survive.
I had to ask her to give the Xmas tree, adorned with hand made glass baubles from Poland, a wide berth. God my house looks gorgeous now - come and see! Or may be it’s the minimalist thing with having less each of her visits and having to hide things for their own safety.
I had to ask her to give the Xmas tree, adorned with hand made glass baubles from Poland, a wide berth. God my house looks gorgeous now - come and see! Or may be it’s the minimalist thing with having less each of her visits and having to hide things for their own safety.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Inexpensive glasses/spectacles
Mark bought a rather dashing pair of glasses for £15 all in - frames and lenses! He's real pleased with them. Check out http://www.glassesuk.com/ and other such web sites. You'll need your prescription and to know what style of frames suit you. A bargain worth sharing I thought.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Theory from Marta and new fact from Mark
Marta's déjà vu theory: I was in a situation that seemed absurd and quite ridiculous the other day - you know the type that has you scratching your head trying to make sense of it all -when I had a déjà vu moment. Later that week while driving it suddenly ocurred to me what déjà vu is about. Ready for this? It's the world's way of telling you that what is happening is for a reason, it's all part of the grand plan of life and you are on your true path, so don't worry it's all meant to be and will lead on to something better.
Mark's new fact: Smokers are 10 times more likely to die in a work accident. This amazing deduction was from the fact that the smokers at his work spend all day in the lfits going out for a smoke so if there is a lift accident they're the ones most likely to be involved. Another great reason to give up!
Mark's new fact: Smokers are 10 times more likely to die in a work accident. This amazing deduction was from the fact that the smokers at his work spend all day in the lfits going out for a smoke so if there is a lift accident they're the ones most likely to be involved. Another great reason to give up!
Joke: Texan Surgeons
Three Texan surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed.
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident. I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident. I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal infield events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train travelling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States !"
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident. I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident. I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal infield events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train travelling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States !"
Monday, December 05, 2005
Long time no blog – an update on this year
Okay okay, so I’ve been a lil busy – I got my voluntary redundancy, got two job offers in my last week after a lot of effort and fretting, chose the one that paid much less but leads to greater job satisfaction I hope i.e. a move out from IT focus and into the people and communications side.
What a challenge! – taking the hard edge off the culture in a logistics company so it can blossom into a beautiful place to work, weather the storms and grow grow grow as it rightly should. It’s great because I get to use my cognitive psychology, 6th sense for usability, writing skills, commercial sensibilities etc. to look at moulding how a whole organisation behaves. Last week I went on two fantastic courses – 1) Working with senior leaders to engage staff and build trust, and 2) Communicating change.
In the last 3 months I have lived in three different places – Riseley with Timi, moved to Bournemouth hoping to find work by the sea (can I call it moved as spent all my time with Mark), lived with Mark in Purley but it was too much of a commute to the new job (often 2 hours by train or sat on the M25 – gawd, I hate motorways and they seem to hate me too!) so I’m now in Bracknell and enjoy driving through Great Windsor Park to work. Now I dodge badgers instead of drivers asleep at the wheel.
Bracknell is finally starting to feel like home but all this upheaval is pushing me over the edge. If my sofa doesn’t finally get delivered this Friday I will have to find some railings to chain myself to in protest.
Not satisfied with changing job, living in four places, buying a flat in Bournemouth, having a heart operation, having a myomectomy with 6 weeks recovery, falling in love (yes Mark featured heavily above) all in one year - I also nipped to Poland to buy some land as an investment with my redundancy money, learnt about running a commercially successful small hotel on a course in Florida, had a Knowledge Management conference in Berlin with Mars, had a great time in Cuba, went wild in Mallorca with Ewa, spent a week on the Amalfi coast in Italy and had a weekend in Warsaw with friends.
No wonder I’m exhausted. I am getting wiser though. I ditched the evening course in counselling realising a new job was going to be all absorbing for the first few months and it certainly is.
What a challenge! – taking the hard edge off the culture in a logistics company so it can blossom into a beautiful place to work, weather the storms and grow grow grow as it rightly should. It’s great because I get to use my cognitive psychology, 6th sense for usability, writing skills, commercial sensibilities etc. to look at moulding how a whole organisation behaves. Last week I went on two fantastic courses – 1) Working with senior leaders to engage staff and build trust, and 2) Communicating change.
In the last 3 months I have lived in three different places – Riseley with Timi, moved to Bournemouth hoping to find work by the sea (can I call it moved as spent all my time with Mark), lived with Mark in Purley but it was too much of a commute to the new job (often 2 hours by train or sat on the M25 – gawd, I hate motorways and they seem to hate me too!) so I’m now in Bracknell and enjoy driving through Great Windsor Park to work. Now I dodge badgers instead of drivers asleep at the wheel.
Bracknell is finally starting to feel like home but all this upheaval is pushing me over the edge. If my sofa doesn’t finally get delivered this Friday I will have to find some railings to chain myself to in protest.
Not satisfied with changing job, living in four places, buying a flat in Bournemouth, having a heart operation, having a myomectomy with 6 weeks recovery, falling in love (yes Mark featured heavily above) all in one year - I also nipped to Poland to buy some land as an investment with my redundancy money, learnt about running a commercially successful small hotel on a course in Florida, had a Knowledge Management conference in Berlin with Mars, had a great time in Cuba, went wild in Mallorca with Ewa, spent a week on the Amalfi coast in Italy and had a weekend in Warsaw with friends.
No wonder I’m exhausted. I am getting wiser though. I ditched the evening course in counselling realising a new job was going to be all absorbing for the first few months and it certainly is.
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