belgianwaffle

Work

I’m not a feminist but


Posted in: Work

The other day, I heard a young woman say I’m not a feminist or any of that rubbish, but I hate it when older men patronise me. She went on to explain that for all of her career, she had worked for older men. What, she thinks that the rest of us have spent our careers working for teenage girls? Does she feel that it’s necessary to qualify her criticisms in this way so
as not to annoy older men or does she really believe that feminism is rubbish and it’s important to say so at every possible juncture? I found either interpretation very depressing. What did I say? Nothing. I am a feminist, but I’m a coward. Sigh.

Comments
belgianwaffleon 26 July 2005 at 14:55

It is supremely annoying, isn’t it? I wish I could pull myself together and say something. Perhaps next time I’ll say, “you know, it sounds to me like you might be just a teensy bit of a feminist, are you worried about that?” and watch for squirming. Or, more likely, I won’t.

Jeithzorroon 26 July 2005 at 15:07

That does seem to be the all-purpose-loophole-to-offend . I’m not racist but, I’m not being mean but, I don’t think the earth should be run by aardvarks with telepathy but.
Regrettably I too can only vent my spleen behind the safety glass of blogging.

NorahSplogon 26 July 2005 at 15:24

I’m not a blogger or any of that rubbish, but I happened to be passing and I have to agree that it is rather depressing.

jackdaltonon 26 July 2005 at 19:43

You should have decked her… she doesn’t deserve to get away with that level of sloppy thinking.

StarCorneron 26 July 2005 at 20:58

But if she’s not a feminist doesn’t that mean she would believe in a more patriarchial (sp?) society and therefore deserves to get patronised by men – silly cow!!! (sorry about language but people like that annoy the hell out of me too!)

belgianwaffleon 27 July 2005 at 10:29

Good point JZ. Norah, beautifully put. JD, is this the academic in you coming out by any chance? StarCorner, you restore my faith in human nature!

jackdaltonon 27 July 2005 at 21:40

Probably.

Cough, cough


Posted in: Princess, Work

Last night I had to decamp to the spare room as my cough was keeping us both awake and, at least, once I left it was only keeping me awake. Alas, the Princess’s cough woke her up a number of times as well, so when I wasn’t keeping me awake, the Princess was. She awoke definitively at 6.15. We were all tired and cranky this morning. I felt that slightly dizzying exhaustion you get when you have a very small baby and you would give anything to go back to bed. This was a most unwelcome foretaste of what is to come in September.

Struggled into the creche. Largely stayed awake at work.
Picked her up a bit early to visit L and new baby F. They had a paddling pool and the girls played happily until I decided it was time to leave about 7.15. Things plummeted downhill from there until I tucked her up in bed still roaring hysterically at 8.10. She collapsed in exhaustion about 10 minutes later and I am about to do the same.

Rejoice, from tomorrow, the days get shorter.

Comments
Bobbleon 21 June 2005 at 23:36

When I move to Amsterdam I’ll come down and offer my babysitting services x

Mikeachimon 21 June 2005 at 23:37

Aw.
You are a saint.
Sleep well…..

Minkleberryon 22 June 2005 at 07:50

ouchy!

belgianwaffleon 25 June 2005 at 20:12

Oooh, JD, barley sugar, my favourite, you are kind.
Bobble, can’t wait.
Mike, dunno about that, but thanks for the thought.
Minks. Yes.

Still stalked by illness


Posted in: Princess, Twins, Work

Our poor baby girl was sick again Sunday afternoon. It was pathetic, she just lay in my arms between 5 and 8, when she wasn’t throwing up. She was too scared to leave the bathroom so we moved the bean bag in and sat there. She only raised the faintest glimmer of a smile for her father who put on the duvet cover and sang (something that has to be seen to be fully appreciated). Then she went to bed at 8, slept the night, woke up Monday morning full of beans, ate a full breakfast and played snap with me before departing for the creche in excellent form. Absolutely baffling. We dropped her off with some trepidation and instructions to call us at once, if she seemed even faintly miserable. Picked her up last night and she was in great form. Creche said she had an excellent day and her toilet training appears to be complete. Went to bed no problem. Woke up at 3.37. Got sick. Woke up at 5.08. Got sick. Woke up at 8.00. Got sick. She’s now sleeping in our bed a sad little scrap and Mr. Waffle and I have arranged our day thus: 8.00 he goes to work and picks up stuff; 10.30 he returns to us and I go into work and pick up stuff; 14.00, I return home with my papers and he scoots off.

It’s all very tiring for everyone.�

On the good news front, I had another scan yesterday morning. Would you say that the dominant twin is the one sitting on the other’s neck or the one that weighs a hefty 410grms as opposed to the little one that weighs 375? And, fascinatingly,the doctor suggests that I bring a video casette next time so that I can have a complete record in addition to the stills captured on diskette. Does this mean that I will have to tape over “Notting Hill”?

Comments

Minkleberry on 01 June 2005 at 18:36
(
Comment Modified) In the case of my husband and his twin, the dominant one was definitely the little ginger one who grew up to be a policeman and bodybuilder.
I married the other one.
Poor little sausage-I hope the sickness passes soon xx

belgianwaffle on 01 June 2005 at 19:09

Um, pog, thanks for sympathy. Like you I am confused on the dominant twin issue.
Minks, you are definitely going to have twins. Hah. Thanks for sympathy, she seems to be completely better now. Fingers crossed.  

Minkleberry on 01 June 2005 at 19:29

belgian- not this time round ;0)  

belgianwaffle on 04 June 2005 at 13:03

Aha, you’re coming out…

Talking on the phone


Posted in: Princess, Travel, Work

Am most relieved that the Princess consented to talk to me last night. They had a paddling pool in the creche (“nager, NAGER Maman, dans le creche”). Am optimistic that, once given her present, she will welcome my return. Trust that even minus present my loving husband will welcome me with open arms.

By the by, has anyone seen Locotes since Liverpool won the cup?

Comments
Locotes

on 27 May 2005 at 13:14

Locotes is alive and well, though relatively dishevelled and still in a wonderful dreamy haze where nice things really do happen to deserving people.He is waiting for all that to stop very soon, and for the real world to resume kicking him in the gut.

Locotes

on 27 May 2005 at 13:14

Oh, and maybe a present for the hubby wouldn’t go amiss….just to be safe you know.

Bobble

on 27 May 2005 at 14:06

How could she not? x

belgianwaffle

on 29 May 2005 at 13:46

Pog, you are always right. Locotes, glad you haven’t died of happiness. Yeah, I got him a pressie, better safe than sorry. Thanks Bobble.

Two things


Posted in: Family, Work

1. Received the following text message from my husband “got a call asking whether you would like to go election monitoring in Burundi, said no”.

2. Despite arriving at the Ryanair bus stop 10 minutes before the bus’s due departure time, my unfortunate mother in law discovered that it had already left and ended up having to get a taxi to Charleroi (she could have phoned her son for a lift, but she has an independent stubborn streak which her son has inherited).  She will clearly never visit us again. 6 days of intensive babysitting followed by a traumatic taxi ride.  Am gutted.  On the plus side, you will be surprised to hear that we have the kind of contacts in Ryanair which mean that any complaints will be thoroughly followed up.

Comments
Bobble

on 26 May 2005 at 12:38

I need a contact at Easyjet – any friends there..?

Beth

(Homepage)

on 26 May 2005 at 16:39

How could you pass on Burundi?

jackdalton

on 27 May 2005 at 01:43

That’s 100odd euro you owe her….. 😉

Friar Tuck

on 27 May 2005 at 04:11

What’s so bad about a taxi? The drivers in Brussels are so charming.

jackdalton

on 27 May 2005 at 11:44

ps if you can get anyone in RyanAir to follow up anything, you deserve some kind of recognition as a national treasure.

belgianwaffle

on 29 May 2005 at 13:48

Visage, Beth, I bet Burundi is lovely this time of year, but in this patriarchal household, my chance to visit was cruelly turned down. Sigh.
Bobble, no chance, I fear. Jack, I know. Guilt. Good point FT.

Scholl sandals – why?


Posted in: Family, Princess, Travel, Work

I went to buy new slippers at the weekend. I know, my life is full of thrills. I decided that thought I would buy Scholl sandals rather than slippers so that if I had to go out to put out the bins I wouldn’t look quite so weird. Why has nobody ever told me how profoundly uncomfortable these yokes are? And also that they are very noisy. And quite expensive. I am bitter.

In other news, Princess continues a bit unwell and her saintly grandmother is staying for an extra couple of days to tend to her. Doctor today pronounced himself satisfied that she is on the mend, though baffled as to what might have been wrong. Am informed by my husband that Princess wailed convulsively for the entire appointment despite sustaining no injury whatsoever except, one assumes, to her dignity.

Royal grandparents have flooded the house with newsprint and I am fully up to speed with Jools Oliver’s new book which the Guardian described as like a “common or garden baby blog”. Have realised to my horror that I am the owner of a common or garden baby blog and I thought that there was so much more to me.

The Princess is speaking far more English following her grandparents’ visit as evidenced by the following exchange.

Princess (shouting from the bathroom where she is sitting on her pot): Je fais caca, Papa, tu veux faire caca?

Her father: Non merci.

Princess: Mummy, you want to go poo?

Me: Thanks, I’m ok.

And finally, I am off on a work trip tomorrow, so blogging for the remainder of the week may be somewhat limited as I labour in a distant land.

Comments

poggle Those scholls will feel comfortable if you persevered, waffley – they’re kind of like acupressure and take a bit of getting used to. Your feet will thank you for it eventually. But, sadly, the loud clacking is par for the course.
Princess has a bit of a poo fixation at the moment, doesn’t she? I foresee a lucrative future as a stand-up comedienne …..

beachhutman >on 24 May 2005 at 17:24 Ah, so she’s twigged her mama is Monolingual…..

belgianwaffle on 25 May 2005 at 11:12 >Oh, Jojo, if only you knew, you would laugh cruelly.
Pog, thank you for both these pieces of information. Will persevere with deeply uncomfy Scholls.
BHM, well, only temporarily, I suspect. JoJo Birmingham? Calais? Bognor? Bradford???

Even sexier than Bradford…