best of luck

I used to be a member of an Officer Selection board - met some great candidates. The secret is simply to be yourself, listen carefully to any instructions, and do your best!

Thanks - I've heard that so many times. Strange how it never makes me feel any more confident!

It is Marian Keyes - Anybody Out There?
Aidan has a cold so can't go on the dive. Anna is left to dive with Mr Co-Dependent who has decided that in an effort to beat his co-dependence, he will dive today without his emergency spare reserve mouthpiece. And he doesn't want to share his one so he just leaves her to drown...

YES, that's EXACTLY it!!!!!!!! Wow, you guys are great book detectives. Someone else suggested Marian Keyes, but I didn't recognise the character names.

Thanks

Yeah, I got the wrong book! It was a Walsh family one, at least!

Yes - aren't they great? I am desperate for Helen's story - surely there will be one eventually?

All about her detective agency... Hmm, that one could be very interesting given Helen's unique personality. I wonder if Marian Keyes is actually planning on writing one.
I could really use it now, I can't remember the last thing I read that wasn't modernist and difficult. I want to read a story!

Ah I have just searched recent interviews to see what's been said about it. In March 2009 Marian Keyes said:



I kind of wondered about that, because I think it might ruin Helen if we found out that all her brashness and confidence was just a cover up for her deep insecurity and lack of confidence...

Ooh, I've only read the first half of of Anybody Out There? I should read the rest... I'm so bad at half finishing books usually I've got 5 or 6 on the go at once, because I get bored, then go to another, then get bored, start another, then wonder what happens in the first one, read a bit more, get bored, start another, wonder what happens in the next one, read a bit more, start a new one, get bored, finish the first one etc etc

I haven't had a bad week but I want to scream anyway! Why do dog owners let their pets ###### on the pavements? My running shoes are now covered in something brown and horrid and I do not look forward to trying to clean them! I can't throw them in the dishwasher can I?

I've thrown trainers in the washing machine on their own before, they take forever to dry out, though I'm not sure I'd try this with a very expensive pair, however.

Chuck them in the washing machine - they'll come to no harm. Remember that they have to put up with pounding on nasty dirty pavements, supporting (in some cases, and not implying in your case!) nasty dirty feet!

The alternative is a blast with a powerful hose in the garden.

I've had a really good idea for my most recent essay. I've done lots and lots of research and uncovered so much helpful criticism and material. I've got it all planned out and drawn up, and I've got my tutor's approval. I've even figured out a good title for it. As an added bonus it's related to something I'm interested in outside my course (music and song). I'm going to really enjoy writing it!

So why oh why can't I just get started instead of sitting here staring at a blank word document, and calculating that the title and the first sentence constitute 2% of the word count?!
Argh!

hmm, I know that feeling, take a break, maybe go for a walk and come back and try again. good luck

I hate postal strikes

ARGH! Stupid aspirational upper-class mothers! (not mine, I hasten to add! )

I've just been cornered by my sister's friend's mother, who I showed round on a open morning at school a few weeks ago. Neither of us made the connection until tonight, when she dropped her daughter off for the party two hours early!!!! She barely drew breath and was basically a PR machine for her little darling, telling me how she wants to study medicine at Oxbridge (the girl is 13!) and wants her to be head girl at my school..."so it's good to have connections, don't you think?!" No, I don't think so at all! GAH!
Oh, and the worst bit of all is that I'm currently dressed as a pumpkin. Dignified I think not.

Sorry, FluteDiva. I know I shouldn't laugh, but I find that kind of thing so alien compared to the environment I was brought up in that it really does seem comical.

This woman is a complete nightmare! She said to my mum last night: "I think it's wonderful how you people are making an effort to fit in with English traditions!" Ahem....

I can't find a data log file that I need.

I can't finish my chapter without knowing a bit of code that's in it and running the related graph.

Found myself in an ambulance last night... yet another hospital visit to add to my list of fun events of this year.

Oh no, what did you do? Hope you're better now

Um, it's embarassing. It involved alcohol. Never again.

Oops

Hope you're better now Floss. Sounds like a lesson learnt.

Just seen this Celeste : hope you're better now

Picture the scene LAST NIGHT

A new 12 year old keyboard pupil - I'm visiting the house, this is the second lesson. I've already got over the shock of the house being a suitable subject for Aggie and Kim, and that the family dog and cat are over --friendly.

As I arrived last night, having taken my last gulp of fresh air for an hour, I sat down and was immediately greeted by a thoroughly wet dog, who I know will spend the next hour sat beside me with his head on my knee, except for the fact that every few minutes it goes off and has a b***** good scratch, only to return again.
What I hadn't spotted in the very small back room in which the lesson takes place, was the cat litter tray on which within the first few minutes of the lesson, the cat was to make FULL use. The pupil batted not an eyelid as the mixed perfume of wet dog and cat **** pervade the room , nor did Mother when she came in to offer me a cup of tea .....which (SURPRISE) I declined.

I don't think I have to put up with that, but what do I say!!!

The perils of home visits, eh?

My wife makes me hoover up in the front room before my piano teacher calls - and our house is pretty immaculate at all times!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

My computer is pretty much dead! (This isn't my computer!)

"pretty much"? What's wrong? Not switching on at all or something else?

I killed my second computer in two months at work today.

I wouldn't mind so much... I'm due an upgrade. Except, everyone else in my office is getting their new, upgraded computers tonight. I urgently need a new computer, and I'm not getting my new on for another 3 week! Goodness knows what I'm going to do in the meantime. It doesn't seem worth the fuss of chasing IT to get a new-old-type computer for 3 weeks.

Bit grumpy tonight - I failed the 602 comptia A+ mock exam by 3.5%. For those who don't know it is an exam for those who want to go into IT. There is also a 601 exam but we are not doing that until at least Friday.

Annoyingly the centre manager has decided that in order to take the real test you must first pass the mock, which I will have to redo. AAAHHHHHHH!

barry-clari : 'excuse me, can I get past you so I can get off the bus please'
other passenger : lots of general moaning and complaining in my direction, as to how unreasonable it is that I want to get off the bus.

How dare you get off the bus. Don't you know that you have to stay on til the final stop??

That's just ridiculous! How would they like it if you didn't let them off the bus?!

The only thing that stops me getting off the bus is the dodgy doors that don't open so the driver has to hop out of his cab and press the emergency escape button!

I shall remember that next time. If I get on a bus, and it says '119 to Croydon Collonades' on the front, then I have to stay put 'til I get to Croydon Collonades, or I'll be told off by Transport for London officials

...and that destination on the bus-stop indicators is now abbreviated to --

Croydon Clonads

You definitely don't want to go there!

That sounds a bit rude

mmm - I'm sure someone did it deliberately. : D

Well, it turns on, but Windows won't load except in safe mode, unless I do the 2-hour error check thing, in which case it lasts for about 5 mins before dying. Apparently I have to reinstall the operating system or something, which I can't really do because I would muck it up (and noone can find the operating system disks ), so I think I'm going to be pretty much computerless for the next couple of weeks at least.

What a pain in the posterior...

Have you got all your files backed up? Does it stay up and running in safe mode or does it die after a while there? Sounds like you might have a dodgy disk

As far as I know, everything up until the last monthish is backed up (I don't think the external hard drive was turned on recently, but I haven't done anything important for ages so that doesn't matter.)

I haven't had it running for that long in safe mode (because there's not exactly much you can do with it!), but I'm pretty sure it lasted longer than normal windows did and it didn't require the 2-hour check thing before it let me in.

In Safe mode, not many services/apps will be running, so it won't be accessing the disk much and is probably not as likely to hit any sector(s) that are damaged and make the thing throw a hissy fit. If it *is* the disk, a reinstall won't help

You might want to run a manual check, by right clicking the disk in explorer > properties > Tools > Error Checking (Check now).

It'll take a while but should enlighten you somewhat. Have you got any clicking or unusual crunching noises coming from the disk?

I really need to reinstall everything on my PC but I really can't be bothered, so I understand how much of a PITA this is.... Hope you get it fixed soon!

AAAHHHH!!

I failed the 602 part of my A+ qualification today by 2.7%.

Not really a deal but I will have to do it again tommorow and actually pass!!!

Good luck for tomorrow VH!

I did that error check thing (that was what took the 2 hours). After running that, I can get into normal windows, but it dies after a few minutes. There haven't been any nasty noises coming from the disk (or any other bits).

Anyway, the plot thickens a bit. Yesterday afternoon, I turned it on to investigate something in safe mode, but it started up completely normally and ran halfway through a dvd with no problems at all . Later though, when it'd run out of battery and I plugged it into the mains, it came back out of hibernation, lasted five minutes and was dead again. Now I seem to be back to the can't-get-into-windows stage.

It's pretty much the same problem as this: http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum...lease-help.html

but it doesn't die completely.

Waaaaaaaa I feel miserable.




'Lottie-flu' is far, far, far worse than 'man-flu' and usually involves some wailing, groaning, thrashing of limbs, dramatic spluttering and general pityfullness.....


And I've got to get out of bed (somehow, in my weakened state) and stagger up to the woods with the dogs...




p.s. it's not even flu, just a bad cold and chest infection

I'm so worried about something I daren't share with anyone. Such a lousy situation to be in...

Sounds like a contagious disease!

Hope everything works out for the best!