Should I cringe in embarrassment at the fact that I have that song on my iPod?

Yes

Good job I have no shame then, isn't it!

Grhhhhh-I hate overthinking!

Doesn't everyone? It's camp classic!

Humph. I don't want to drive to manchester and back today. I don't want to and nobody can make me. I won't. I won't. I don't want to!!!!!

Oh alright, pass me the car keys. *sigh*

I'm signing in here because I've had a bad week but today I'm starting a new week and I'm fighting back!! Ha

Go Clarimoo.....!!!!

So I get a letter from an organisation I do business with, carrying the ominous words "to make it more convenient for you"...

So now instead of telephoning my local rep direct either on his landline or mobile, I have to go through a call centre, press loads of buttons, tell the call centre what I want to talk to him about and if I'm lucky I might be put through to the new rep's assistant after they've wasted about 10 minutes of my time

Don't you just love it when companies re-organise themselves "for your convenience"....

With these sort of things, I find that pressing the hash key repeatedly or something similar confuses the system so it puts me straight through to a human

So, you're always making a hash of thiings. That's what you're saying?

You are all so nice, I feel better already

OMG, I'm SOOOOO annoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, so I went to the opticians about 3 weeks ago for a contact lens check-up, and the optician found that my prescription had changed a bit. Fine. So I dutifully hand in my unopened lenses in the old prescription and am assured I'll have the new lenses within a week or so. Also fine.
Three weeks later, I'm still lens-less, and ring them up for the millionth to ask if they're ready yet. Ahhh, yes they are, says the man, they've been here about a fortnight. Oh dear, I think..... but hey ho, off I trot in the rain to the opticians, collect the lenses, put them in when I get home. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH they've given me + lenses instead of - ones....!!!!!!! HOW ANNOYING! So my dad takes me back to the opticians (after I've dried myself off from the original trip), and I explain the problem to them. They then argue and tell me the lenses are in the right prescription and match my records. So I said no, I'm short-sighted not long-sighted, showed them my glasses prescription etc and STILL they argue, saying that contact lens prescriptions can be different from glasses ones. Ok, fine, but the lenses I was given are in the right region in terms of power, just + instead of - . So very grudgingly they've given me another appointment in a week's time :/ Hope I can get it sorted, otherwise I'll have to find a new opticians and it'd be really messy with direct debits etc. GAHHHHHH
(apologies for the unashamed rant)

Edit - and, just to make sure I wasn't wrong, I made sure that they were definitely the wrong sort by trying them on. It was terrible!

Bach's Fugue in B major (WTC. Bk2) - fingering, aarghh!

Finding week 6 of the parental visit to our home a tad trying....

Week 6!!!

Do they live in Australia?

Go to the pet shop, buy a few rats, plant them in the wardrobe in their room... Problem solved!

Why buy them?

There seem to be plenty of rodent-lovers on the Forum; I'm sure they'd be happy to lend them out for just such an occasion.

(I was going to say ratus ratus but my rodent identification has already caused problems this week, so I'd better not broadcast my ignorance any further. )

Starting from yesterday backwards:
Car crash yesterday (not my fault) on my way to first gathering of the orchestra this term.
Missed two great concerts at the weekend due to migraine.
Mobile phone (only means of comms right now) fell in huge puddle on Friday during torrential downpour, on my way to opening night of the opera (hence got there too late for a glass of wine with pal). Opera great but sadly unattended. that phone is repairable.
All this followed fall and knee damage so I couldn't do the famous 20km annual pilgrammage that half Costa Rica makes on foot every year to visit the "Black Virgin", celebrating her 375th year this year.
PLUS some other annoying but more minor upsets that have just made life plain difficult.
And left me no time for the oboe, which is worst of all.

Organising important work event for Mon & Tue. Recital on Friday for Costa Rican Mothers' Day
that nothing else goes wrong!

The states. THey've extended their stay somewhat, though.

Saw orthopaedic surgeon number three today...he's spotted a curvature in my spine.

As if I don't look bad enough..I'm going to end up as Quasimodo's twin sister at this rate.

Sorry to hear this, DC if it helps at all, at the dance school I go to there was a student teacher with a curvature of the spine many moons ago-it didn't have a massive impact on her, particularly as I think she was given special exercises to do to help her "manage" it.

I hate Photoshop.

Why? It's best-of-breed?

It's too complicated/I'm too stupid.

This has just turned into an awful week. I don't want to start another thread because so many people were supportive to poor Tori flute about the loss of her much loved dog so I don't think it's the moment to start another similar thread. But I have just found one of our cats run over and killed on the road.

Chloé didn't come home when we called the cats in last night and hadn't been seen during the afternoon. But that isn't unusual as she spends a lot of time in the neighbour's garden where they quite like to have her. They are animal lovers but don't feel able to have any more of their own on account of ill health. We left the cat flap on "in only" overnight and expected to find her in the kitchen in the morning - as has been the case in the past. When she wasn't there I went searching and found her on the roadside just beyond the neighbour's house. She was three years old and had been abandoned as a kitten in the school car park.

We are very sad. I don't remember off hand who posted the "Rainbow Bridge" text but maybe Meg and Chloé have made friends and will keep each other company while they wait for us.

I know the loss of a pet may seem a small thing besides some of the terrible things happening in the world, but
knowing that doesn't stop the sadness.

Huge hugs Aquarelle. So sorry to hear this.

My watch has stopped, all I need when I am off to France Tuesday. I don't really understand I only bought the watch back in April, should it have died that quickly or is there something wrong with the watch? Aghhh!!

Aquarelle: Sympathies.

Thank you The Old Lady and jazzycat. It has been a long and empty day.

Oh, I'm so so ssorry to hear thatn Aquareltle...

Sorry for spelling mistakes... very tired and sore.

So very sorry to hear that, Aquarelle

I couldn't believe it as I just heard the organ voluntary faded out, for the news on Radio 3!

They have just FADED OUT the last few strains of Dupre's Prelude & Fugue in B major, played live from Gloucester Cathedral, as part of the Three Choirs Festival!

WHY?

No hint at all as to why they have done this - for the first time I can remember in many years - in favour of the news! And the continuity announcer prattled on, when we could have heard the end of the piece!

Good job for whoever decided on that one, that they are out of my not-inconsiderable reach!

It's one of my favourite pieces. I AM INCENSED!!

A big clump of my hair just came out. It sounds stupid but I'm really upset about it... my hair is my favourite thing about me!

If I run my hands through it, more comes out.

What next? *sigh*

poor Celeste

, Floss...

Oh, Aquarelle, I'm only just catching up with the forums after 10 days away teaching and I've just read your sad news about your Chloe...I am so, SO sorry - you have now lost three cats in as many years, I think?

You're right - it's only 'pet people' who DO understand just how awful losing a much-loved one is. My Tiggy is getting very old now and I'm dreading the day...but your Chloe was so young .

Sending huge hugs and sympathies...

Four mosquito bites last night

Thank you Cyrilla.

Florian, Bingley, Lucy, Chloé - four in three years. Unbelieveable, isn't it? We arrived here in 1985 having travelled from England with car and caravan, camping car. We brought with us five cats. All these "English" animals survived this adventurous journey and lived out their lives or died of identifiable but untreatable illness. Only the "French" ones seem to vanish or throw themselves under cars. We are now down to three and have added lots of fencing to the garden. Almost impossible to fence everywhere as it is a big piece of land but the more difficult it is to get out the less they try. I shall not change my signature as some other feline stray is bound to arrive sooner or later.

Give Tiggy a stroke from us all!

Even more sympathy, Aquarelle. Losing pets is so horrible...


My own argh is that I have suspected food poisoning. I have a high temperature and feel ridiculously queasy along with other symptoms that I'd rather not go into. Remind me not to encourage mwl1 to cook sausages again... Plus, my God daughter is in A&E having fallen down the stairs and badly hurt her wrist. She's only 2, so I know that even if it's broken she'll no doubt recover quickly, but even so...

My sympathies too, Aquarelle.



Best wishes to both of you : hope you both get better soon.

Big, huge hugs to you Aquarelle and Celeste.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

The deed is done!!!

Thanks Barry. Have fainted twice now and it's just not very nice.

Was also shouted at by 2 men in town tonight who called me fat and told me I wouldn't be using my crutches if I wasn't overweight before continuing to make remarks as I walked ahead of them. I know I shouldn't take it to heart but I'm secretly very upset and feel just like I did while I was at school and being severely bullied every day for over 6 years. I was officially too thin this time last year and now I just can't shift even a pound because of the cocktail of medication I have to take just to be able to semi-function. Those guys have no idea how hard it is. They don't even know how horrible it is to go out in public with crutches, where you just know that people are going to look at you as 'disabled'. Humph.

Confront the crazy blokes, Celeste.

One of my fav moments of my life was confronting a man who walked past me in York, hissing 'you fat cow, you fat cow' in my face. I chased after him, stopped in front of him and said 'excuse me, what did you say?' to which he replied 'oh, nothing, nothing...'. I said 'you called me a fat cow, didn't you? Don't you want to repeat that again?' 'No, I didn't, I didn't' he said, over and over. My impression was that he'd expected I'd just shrivel up and die at the weight of his criticism. Silly, fearful little man. Reveal them for the cowards they are is my motto.

Look after yourself, Celeste : and frankly the two men in question don't deserve any degree of thought from anyone. They're just nasty and small minded. Think of all the people who are your friends. We friends, and your family, and your boyfriend are the important people in your life, not these two men. Get well soon, Celeste.

Barry and the others are right Celeste. I know it's hard but ignore them, stupid, ignorant people just aren't worth bothering about, trust me, I meet them everyday at work Chin up, we're all on your side