Aaaaaaaaaggghh - The Scream Thread!, Sign in here if you've had a bad week... Options

[maggiemay]

Indeed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I am sorry for the loss to the children (and of course the reduced work hours ).

But they clearly value what you do. At least if they are keeping you there, dare one hope that when / if their finances get on a sounder footing, your hours might increase again? This is what happened to me when I was visiting primary schools much earlier in my teaching career.

[Aquarelle]

But part of the end result is that the choir will disappear totally and the children will now only ever sing hymns along to a CD..

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

That is absolutely awful. Here in France there are no school choirs to speak of. No singing in the schools I know round here except a bit of bawling along with a CD - words and music of inferior value. So when you have a good choir set up in an English school it is something really precious. If any of you are in a position to fight back over this sort of thing please do so because I can tell you schools without singing (and we don't even have assemblies) are like football without a ball. I've done my best in the junior school where I work but it's paltry compared to what I was able to do in Surbiton and (even) Vauxhall when I taught there.

Something will turn up Cyrilla - I'm sure. Keep smiling!

[Cyrilla]

Thanks, chaps.

Agreed - it is ultimately the children who will suffer (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) .

The school had their Easter Service (it's a CofE primary) last Friday and it was quite an emotional occasion, really - my last one, my accompanist's last one (she is a total goddess and we've worked together for 20 years but her health isn't great and she decided to give this school up) and the vicar's last one (he's retiring). I shan't go along to any services in the future as I shan't have had any input into the learning of the hymns as I do now and I won't be able to bear listening to them singing to a CD backing (which, incidentally, includes children singing on it - it's not even a 'backing track' - so you can't really hear the real, live children). It was emotional for all these reasons and also because the children sang SO beautifully - I am so, so proud of the sound they make...

Oh, and of course it also means the end to great Y5/Y6 productions at Christmas too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) .

Aquarelle, you've mentioned before about there being no singing in French schools - a truly awful state of affairs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) .

Oh, they DO value me, maggie - and, yes, they may well increase my hours again if their finances improve, but I can't see it happening, really - they are in deep financial trouble.

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[Sunrise]

That's so sad, Cyrilla (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Cyrilla]

That's so sad, Cyrilla (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I know...thanks, Sunrise...

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[katica]

That's so sad, Cyrilla (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

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[Tenor Viol]

My unerstanding is that the French position stems from one of those periodic bursts of Gallic republicianism that crops up in France. This particular one was in the late C19th and resulted in the church choir schools losing their state support. Within a generation all of the cathedral/church choirs were gone.

My understanding is that this is behind the poor state of choral singing - you haven't got the cathedral and collegiate choirs churning out experienced singers who become conductors etc.

One of my choirs did an exchange with the twin town a few years ago (we're repeating that this year). The French visit was only 4 weeks into the summer term and we'd only had the 4 rehearsals. The French choir had chosen the music, which was Jenkins' The Armed Man. They had been rehearsing it for a year (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) The Armed Man is not a difficult work and we were already up to performing it - they were completely shocked to discover that we'd only had the 4 rehearsals. We attended their normal Friday rehearsal (which wasn't a concert rehearsal) and sight read our way through what they were doing - that really threw them.

We sang Langlais' Messe Solenelle a few years ago and the week of the concert, Mme. Langlais was interviewed on R3. She said that to hear her husband's music performed either liturgically or in concert, she had to come over to the the UK where she knew that his music was performed in cathedrals up and down the land - but not at home in France.

It's very sad.

[katica]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif)

A screw has fallen out of my oboe and one of the keys is loose. I've hunted everywhere - even emptied the vacuum cleaner - and it's nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out at the concert on Sunday. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I suppose I have to phone Howarths tomorrow morning and wait weeks for spare screws to arrive.

aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

[louise1712]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif)

A screw has fallen out of my oboe and one of the keys is loose. I've hunted everywhere - even emptied the vacuum cleaner - and it's nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out at the concert on Sunday. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I suppose I have to phone Howarths tomorrow morning and wait weeks for spare screws to arrive.

aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

oh no (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grouphug.gif) hope you get it sorted soon katica (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[katica]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif)

A screw has fallen out of my oboe and one of the keys is loose. I've hunted everywhere - even emptied the vacuum cleaner - and it's nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out at the concert on Sunday. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I suppose I have to phone Howarths tomorrow morning and wait weeks for spare screws to arrive.

aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

oh no (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grouphug.gif) hope you get it sorted soon katica (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Unless by any marvellous good luck Loree screws fit Howarth oboes (the Patricola ones don't), I may have a long wait in store... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Clari Nicki1]

Got to leave in 45 mins to go up to the midland, for father in law's funeral- husband has just found out his car doesn't have an MOT- Why oh why is he so disorganised? Girls aren't up - were woken at 7:30am... just being lazy. OH stressed- I am more stressed.... At least my son is up packed and ready........
Breathe......

[Crotchetymum]

Got to leave in 45 mins to go up to the midland, for father in law's funeral- husband has just found out his car doesn't have an MOT- Why oh why is he so disorganised? Girls aren't up - were woken at 7:30am... just being lazy. OH stressed- I am more stressed.... At least my son is up packed and ready........
Breathe......

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/thereThere.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grouphug.gif)

[Barry Toner]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif)

A screw has fallen out of my oboe and one of the keys is loose. I've hunted everywhere - even emptied the vacuum cleaner - and it's nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out at the concert on Sunday. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I suppose I have to phone Howarths tomorrow morning and wait weeks for spare screws to arrive.

aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

I think your reaction is quite modest, considering.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/fingersCrossed.gif) Off the wall idea: Do you know anyone else you know have a Howarth oboe that you could borrow the relevant screw for a couple of days?

Memo to self: go and check tightness of screws on my own Howarth oboe.

[schraeubchen]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/argh.gif)

A screw has fallen out of my oboe and one of the keys is loose. I've hunted everywhere - even emptied the vacuum cleaner - and it's nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out at the concert on Sunday. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I suppose I have to phone Howarths tomorrow morning and wait weeks for spare screws to arrive.

aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/fingersCrossed.gif) for you getting it fixed as soon as possible.

[Maizie]

It really is one of those crawl under the desk and curl up in a ball days.
I thought I selpt badly on Sunday and Monday nights, but last night I slept dreadfully. From midnight onwards I woke up several times if not actually having a panic attack, at least in a state of high anxiety. Which has yet to go away.

Work is just...aaarrrgggh! I know why, my manager knows why, though I doubt he realises that it's become such a problem (to be fair, I've not really realised it until today - and today is most likely only so bad because I'm so tired. I know tired->stress->poor sleep->more tired->and so on)
Essentially I'm doing a 100% of your time job alongside, well, at the moment it's not that bad but last week it was certainly a 100% of your time job. Amazingly enough, I'm only prepared to do 7.5 hours a day, so stuff doesn't get done.

Right now I'm trying so hard to get people to understand something that is blatantly obvious. We have three paper documents that needs to be typeset in to multiple languages. Most versions in most languages are fine. There are two though that I've been provided in pdf format. The first thing to do is import the source doc in to the software - and it won't take these two particular pdfs, because they are in wonky weirdy script languages.
Basically, if the source doc was a Word version, it would be fine.
The 'owner' of the document keeps coming back to me saying 'we have a pdf copy' and I keep saying 'I need a Word copy' and they reply 'But the last study has a pdf copy you could use' and I reply 'which won't import in to our software, we need a Word copy' and they provide me with a different pdf version to try. The last study would have to have sent it out to the translation company, but now we can do it in house - provided we have a usable source document!
Of course, which two countries have urgent need for their regulatory people to see the forms? That's right, these two where they can only give me pdf versions. So, can't they provide me the source version they must already have from the previous use - actually, probably yes, but apparently it's more fun to just drive me round the bend telling me the same thing when I can't see how I can make it clearer that what they are provided is not acceptable if they want it by tomorrow. I have to sent it out to translation, and that will cost them money and take at least a week - just as it did in the previous set-up.

The other work I'm doing is not complicated, but it is something where a report isn't behaving as expected. It may be simple to fix, it may be unfixable. But I need a day poking round the reporting database having an explore and a play and seeing what's what. And I don't have any time for doing that sort of thing.

And all the other stuff is 'far off' because it's due in June, but nobody seems to be able to count backwards from June to see how soon that actually is and we need to get on with it now, oh, and guess who's needed to do the first task?

And this afternoon I have to give training. Stupid, stupid, stupid at least two years out of date training, but nobody is going to bother to update the slides because new processes are due sometime in 2013. I was one of four trainers but the others have all moved on so I am now the only one left, having to give this stupid training every six weeks.
At least it is over the phone...except the landlines in this house are cordless. And the batteries give up after about 45 mins. And the training will be about an hour and a quarter. So part way through, I'm going to have to dial out, change handset, and resume the meeting. That'll be good. I guess I need to buy a cheap phone that doesn't rely on batteries for future use (except hopefully soon the stupid training will go away and I won't have to do it anymore, and/or we'll start using the audio function on conferencing software, which we keep 'planning to use in future' but it doesn't happen).

In the meantime, I can't believe it's only half past ten. I'll just carry on sitting here, waiting for the bombardment of emails and messenger things when the US/Canada arrive (and, of course, that is too late to get India doing any work until tomorrow...) Still shaking, breathing is wrong, want to curl up somewhere and sleep but too much to do and no contactable manager to say "I need to stop Right Now before my head blows up"

Edit: Long, but somewhat helpful to get it out of my head (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)