Work

on 20 October 2004 at 00:07

No.

Friar Tuck

on 20 October 2004 at 03:52

Depends. How low would your neckline be?

on 20 October 2004 at 12:47

Which one? C’mon – you can tell us …..

on 21 October 2004 at 11:00

I think she means ALL of them at once. A kind of hybrid from hairdresser hell.Punishment from the Gods for the creation of that nefarious monster LJS, no doubt.
🙂

Kal

(Homepage)

on 21 October 2004 at 11:49

Picture! Picturepicturepicture!

on 21 October 2004 at 12:13

Is he nefarious?
Excellent ….

on 21 October 2004 at 16:38

Bad to the bone, I reckon….. but at least he has hair that can be seen in public without fear of arrest by the fashion police.
[He does… doesn’t he? ]

on 21 October 2004 at 17:43

I assume so, Doc. Haven’t heard a single slur about his barnet, anyway …..

dmts

on 21 October 2004 at 21:09

mmm. we haven’t really touched on LJS’s hair yet have we, waffle? What sort of hairstyle would a great romantic hero have? But never mind that, what’s LJS’s hair like?

on 22 October 2004 at 11:57

D’you solis might let you have ‘byronic’?

johnhumphries

on 22 October 2004 at 13:08

We went to Devon on holiday last year and all the bus drivers had haircuts like that!

on 22 October 2004 at 18:02

Coffee & Cake? It?s sort of a blog event. Small select gathering. Invite Only?

on 28 October 2004 at 12:31

Hello there, been lying low with my head under a pillow but am about to get up and face the world

Travelling

6 July, 2004
Posted in: Princess, Work

I have been rejected for three more jobs (two of which I interviewed for) and spent 17 hours on trains with the Princess since I wrote last.Â It’s no wonder I’m too depressed to pick up a keyboard.

Also did have a very nice week with my parents in La Rochelle where the Princess learned to love the ocean (provided that she was not immersed above her chubby knees) and continued her love affair with sand.Â However, my memories are hazy as all of my brain power was required to keep my sanity on the 10 hour train ride home.

Princess update perhaps not of interest to the general reader.Â She continues to stand occasionally but resolutely refuses to walk. She loves slides and was able to go down one all on her own in La Rochelle.Â Very thrilling.Â She has now extended her vocabulary to say “baby” and “all gone”. The latter sounds like “aga” when she says it but we know what she means.Â She will now also say “ta ta” when given something she wants, provided it’s done in good time.Â Any delay in giving her what she wants is met with fury. Quite terrifying.Â If you say “where’s your choo choo” or “where’s your doggy” she will crawl off and retrieve those items.Â She blows kisses.Â She imitates. So when I said “shush” on the epic train ride and put my finger to my lips she did the same to all of our long suffering fellow travellers.Â If I sigh, she will sigh back.Â She beats her chest and makes tarzan noises which is something, I would like you to know, that I only do in the privacy of my own home.Â She’s fantastic.

Comments

Angela

(Homepage)

on 06 July 2004 at 16:20

If I owned a company, I would hire you in an instant! And then I would constantly come over and force you to leave your desk and talk babies and books and beer with me. (And, of course, I wouldn’t let the pesky managers fire you because of all the time you spend away from your desk talking babies and books and beer. Because, you know, I own the place!)

Locotes

on 06 July 2004 at 16:40

Sorry about the interviews – something will come up in the end (I know that’s a horribly annoying thing to say, but it IS true – keep the faith…though not necessarily in a Bon Jovi-esque way).
As for the Princess update – it’s all very impressive. A career in method acting awaits possibly, with all the sighing and inner fury. I’m at a bit of a loss with the beating of chest however….whatever keeps you happy in the confines of your own home I suppose.

on 06 July 2004 at 21:29

Hang in there, ‘waf.
You only need a bit of luck to make that breakthrough: and it will come. And as Locotes says, don’t lose perspective: it will all fall into place soon enough 😉
Princess updates are much enjoyed…

on 08 July 2004 at 13:23

Thank you, thank you. I feel all virtually supported. Frankly, I need all the support I can get. One of the interviewers offered feedback to unsuccessful candidates. I got my feedback yesterday. Can I offer a little tip here: if you didn’t get the job, don’t bother with the feedback, it’s just too depressing.

on 09 July 2004 at 00:27

nooooo you must get the feedback; at the very least it inconveniences the buggers, epecially if you ask for notes and jottings from the interview board. 🙂

on 09 July 2004 at 21:04

I know what you mean Jack and that was entirely my original motivation but the humiliation is CRUSHING.

on 10 July 2004 at 11:40

Only if you let it be. I’d suggest you make a list of the things they said and then rate each – in a balanced, honest way – as either A: ‘they may have a point here and this is something I can work on’, B: ‘perhaps, but there’s noting I can do about this’ or C: ‘stupid jerks they lack vision on this, so sod them’. Then set about fixing the A’s, don’t apply for jobs that need B’s and be proud of your C’s.
Not too scientific, but it works… 😉

on 11 July 2004 at 22:31

Yes, but it’s so hard not to feel that all their comments are Cs even though I know they can’t be really.

Ethnicity

13 May, 2004
Posted in: Work

I got an application form for a job with a UK public body in Brussels. The application form came with a further form which I was asked to fill in. I was assured that the form (the latter form, do try to keep up) would be kept confidential. It was for the purpose of monitoring the recruitment process only. Question 4 was as follows

Ethnic Origin

White 1

Irish 2

Black African 3

Black Carribean 4

Black other (please specify) 5

Indian 6

Pakistani 7

Bangladeshi 8

Chinese 9

Yes, obviously, my ethnic origin is Irish, but I am Irish. I appreciate that it’s for UK domestic use, but it is a little odd. And is the order of ethnicity relevant? Why is white first? Is it because there are more white people than anyone else? Does this mean that after white people the second largest ethnic group in the UK is Irish people – possible I suppose. Very strange. I suppose that it is done with the best possible motives.

And another thing, why do people assume older people need extra special advice – there was a feature on this on the radio. Someone was in saying they should be specially warned that people giving investment advice in banks are tied to the banks. They’re old, they’re not stupid. My father, who is, of course, not old as such, but certainly older, could buy and sell me and had to eventually give up in despair after many vain attempts to explain to me what exactly p/e ratio means. I remember when e-voting was piloted in the last election, a reporter descended on an ancient nun asking gleefully whether she’d had any difficulty casting her vote. She replied scornfully “of course not, it’s simple, sure a child of six could do it.” Good woman.

And finally, do check out the link to Everquest on Jack Dalton‘s post. Outstanding.

What do you do all day?

6 February, 2004
Posted in: Princess, Work

This is something that the working world wants to know. I will tell you.

I bring about present inflation. You know the way there is always someone who has the perfect present, beautifully wrapped? I have become that person. I spend my days buying tasteful gifts and wrapping them in attractive paper (not very beautifully wrapped I must concede as I am no good at that). I buy presents for godchildren, birth presents, birthday presents, wedding presents, christening presents, you name the occasion, I am out there buying a gift. Scarcely a week goes by when I am not in a shop selecting something light (a lot of our presents need to be posted) but wonderful.

I buy sewing machines. A picture of the machine is below:

It may not be there forever as I think I only have a certain amount of space for pictures on 20six, so feast your eyes on it now, while it’s there. You will be relieved to hear that, in exchange for a well-spent tenner, the nice men who delivered it carted it up the stairs as well. I was round at the Glam Potter’s yesterday and she is very keen to inspect my purchase and will be over next week to admire. The Glam Potter is very arty and has sealed bids in auction houses all over Brussels. Her house is full of interesting things she has picked up in unusual places. I would like to go to an auction with her, but, you will recall, we don’t need any more furniture. I think Mr. Waffle may come over all Victorian and forbid me to fraternise with her futher if I start buying things at auction with her.

I cook, as discussed in an earlier posting. The other night I went into the kitchen saying “I’ll just check on dinner.. oh, doesn’t the sewing machine look nice in the hall?” Mr. Waffle asked “Are these words you ever, in your wildest dreams, thought that you would utter?” I must say, the answer to this is no.

Occasionally, I apply for jobs.

Often, I meet people for lunch. A friend said recently that when he hears the expression “ladies who lunch” he thinks of me. Hmm.

I wash clothes. This is a judgement on me. When I was growing up, my mother used to complain that I would throw things in the wash when I had only worn them for five minutes. I used to think, well what is the problem here, we have a washing machine… Now, everyday, I put on two washes and then bring them down to the basement to the drier and then put the clothes away. Now, ok, now, I’m sorry, that I was a stroppy teenager (I am reminded here of an Ogden Nash poem on adolesence, and if you click on this link, you too can read the poem). We are the grubbiest, or possibly, the cleanest, depending on how you look at it, family in Belgium. Every evening the laundry basket is empty. Every morning it is full to the brim. It is a cornucopia of dirty laundry, it never runs out. I’m thinking of buying a larger laundry basket.

Sometimes, I go to the art gallery.

I blog. I email. My emailing is not great though. My responses are usually deemed inadequate and far too short. I just can’t work up the enthusiasm for long emails. I tend to reply “yes” to two page missives and my correspondents get a little tetchy.

I mind the Princess.

I read, a bit.

I talk on the phone, although this has become more difficult since the Princess has discovered how to hang up the phone.

So now you know.

If you have not yet been the recipient of my largesse, hold your breath because, probably, even now, a tasteful, light gift is winging its way to you.

Comments

Thierry

on 07 February 2004 at 10:47

I love the way you write!
Speaking of art, don’t forget to visit the “Khnopff” exhibition at the “Mus?e d’ Art Ancien”, rue Royale.
And speaking of art auctions, you can find all the details (dates, address)each week in Thursday’s “Le Soir” (suppl?m?nt “Immo”) (^_^)
http://bruxelles-ma-ville.skynetblogs.be/