Pigtails and protruding tongues Now all I can picture is Beryl the Peril - not what either set of rules had in mind, I would imagine

Surely there can't be any correlation between the fact that I'd set this morning aside for housework and I appear to be Top Poster today

Earlier this morning I was dusting some wooden ornaments and accidentally vacuumed up one of the pieces. Not nice fishing around in a load of dust to get it back

I managed to hoover up my watch this morning...

W

To be fair that is standard practice (and may actually be mandatory) for chemical sites. It's not usually onerous but everyone needs to know what the alarms are, what to do if they sound - if not they need to be accompanied at all times by someone that does. I would be very worried indeed if I was allowed alone on a site which handled hazardous material and they didn't do this!

It isn't yet mandatory to explain to male employees how to treat members of the opposite gender, fortunately it isn't normally needed - but for some people I I think it would have been useful.

At my local music school: two problems down, one to go.

My daughter has a new piano teacher
(So hopefully no more dispairing threads from me on this subject).

After saying she couldn't start the oboe because her old piano teacher said she was unmusical, the head has changed his mind and has had a "closer look" and said she can learn both instruments

Now all I need them to do is to move her from one theory class to another so that it no longer clashes with her painting class.

Great sighs of relief! I'm so pleased your daughter will have a new piano teacher, and can start oboe. It's been hard enough just reading about your frustrations. I can't imagine what it must be like for you actually to live through them. Here's hoping for a much more enjoyable time this year, and I hope the theory class gets sorted too.

Great news!!! Does that mean she won't have to do things like play her name in note names any more

No, that's the other daughter and it was in a music lesson at secondary school.

Well I have visited many chemicals factories in UK , Europe and Far East, and the one mentioned was the only one where I have had to watch a video and answer questions. Of course you always wear protective clothing and a hard hat .

Photomultiplier tubes

Why on earth do most hotels fold the loo roll corner over, or even make an arrow out of it. Most irritating and unnecessary! Usually its hanging down a bit anyway so theres no problem getting hold of it. (the paper I mean!)

What do most people say when they answer the phone? I always say "hello" and take it from there! I had to phone someone for my mum yesterday, and she answered by barking her name at me!

I say hello too. But my dad says hello and then his name. Maybe it's an adult thing...

My grandparents always used to answer with the last 6 digits of their number, until they got a phone with caller dislay, which gave my dad a fright when my grandma answered the phone with his name

It depends- sometimes I say the telephone number (not the area code, just the second bit- it was what I was told to do when I was younger), at some points I just say "Hello" and if I recognise the number, I answer and make a guess as to who in that household is ringing (which doesn't always work, and I end up saying someone's name when it is their daughter ringing!)

If it's at home I say "Hello", or more usually "Hello Dad", because it only seems to be my parents who really use my home phone anymore. If it's my mobile and a friend I'll say something like "Hi, how are you?" If it's my work phone, or an unknown number on my mobile (which is usually work) I'll say "Hello" followed by my name. At work it's useful to announce your name - it lets the caller know you've picked up your phone, rather than someone else in the office because you're away from your desk.

I just say 'Hello' too

*wonders why we don't have an smilie*

At home I only ever say hello, never give out my name until I know who it is I am talking to. Different for business phone calls as you would answer with your name and business.

I have my first physiotherapist appointment this morning, hopefully get my knees sorted!

Hope it goes well, ET.

I answer the phone with 'good morning' and my name if I suspect a business call.
If I think it's the family, or it's a time of day I'm not in business mode I'll probably just say hello.

Depends on your business. We in my dept all answer the phone 'hello' - no name, no department name, no company name. Hah, makes it sound like I work somewhere top secret...completely threw my mother the first time she phoned me at work, because she has always answered the phone "Good morning, name-of-company" and she couldn't believe I would merely say 'hello'!

It depends on different countries too. My mum (German) has always told me to answer with my surname. I answer with "hello" though

Chas 'n' Dave have split up

Thanks guys - it was interesting to read all of that I always say hello, and if it's my family, I answer with the Italian version (pronto) so that's why I was so confused - as it wasn't a business call or anything, just her home number!

On another note - I've no idea what to put on one of those ethniticity forms. I want to put white British, but my tutor said no! I've lived here all my life and go to a very English public school, but both my parents grew up in Italy and I speak Italian at home! So I'm sort of in-between!

Yeah on the same day I booked tickets! It's now Chas & His band.

Seeing as Chas is the pianist/lead singer, it'll still be a good bash!

Enjoy! Chas 'n' Dave were a good fun group : I'm sure Chas and his band will be a good gig too

My home number is similar to a taxi firm's as well, so occasionally, if I get a call very late at night and am woken, I'll go ahead and confirm their order for a taxi No-one disturbs my sleep and gets away with it!

I believe that you're meant to choose the ethnicity that you consider yourself to be. I was born in Germany, parents aren't British and I've lived here since I was 6. I always choose White British as that is what I consider myself to be.

Got a mail from friends back in Sydney this morning...

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/sydney-t...90923-g0so.html

Odd but strangely beautiful pictures!

It is odd and rather beautiful... unless you are trying to fly to Sydney in less than 36 hours time (my Dad is hoping they won't delay his flights in and out of Sydney!)






It is officially not summer anymore here. The man came to put the winter cover on the pool today.

Think I'll have to wear trousers to work from now on. Poor lady customers, being deprived of the sight of my finely honed legs.

At least your missus will be glad that you're not stealing skirts from her wardrobe anymore!

I'm being taken out for Italian tonight... my stomach is rumbling already!

Good question I personally don't think it makes a blind bit of difference - but when they were handed round at registration, mine had a sticky note on it to say "please do not choose White British" What?! So I put "White Other". It's ridiculous - when I speak I probably sound more English than half the country I think it's so the school can say that they are a diverse and multicultural society or something like that. It's also lucky for them that I'm not bothered about it at all (and I'm used to the bluntness) but I imagine that it could be taken the wrong way quite easily.

Things are not always as they seem......

Posted a while back about an issue with a friend and a mis-sent text (which I received)


Suffice it to say that there was a lot more to it than initially met the eye. All resolved now and we are still friends

I remember you mentioning that. I'm glad it's all sorted now.

Thankyou Lucky.

I have to put Mixed White and Chinese on my ethnic forms because my mum is from Indonesia, which apparently has to be Chinese instead of Asian. Although I think her great-grandparents or whatever had emigrated from China.
I always get told I 'speak posh', too...

It actually irks me seeing all these forms with categories for Ethnicity/Marital Status/Sexuality/Colour-of-underpants or whatever on them. It's just so they can see if they are hitting stupid government targets. Bl**dy bureaucratic box tickers!

my nan was Peruvian, does that mean I don't qualify as 100% White British?

Also, how does Indonesian get lumped in with Chinese, and why is China not considered as part of Asia in that sense? That surely makes their information incorrect.

Apparently 'Asian' implies India/Bangladesh/Pakistan/The other -stans and probably some other countries as well

I'm sure India isn't happy being lumped in with Pakistan either

As far as I'd think, Indonesia would be categorised as South East Asia, along with Thailand et al. I've never really understood so many different ethnicities being lumped in under "Asian" myself...

I mean, it's a bit confusing if you try to give a description such as "Oh, yeah, I saw this asian fellow earlier today..." - what are you supposed to think? I don't think the term "Oriental" is something people are keen on these days either (probably because those nationalities implied don't like being lumped into one category that isn't related to continent).

When I was in Australia, I noticed that the term "Asian" referred pretty much exclusively to Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/SE Asian ethnicities.

We had elocution lessons in 3rd form! It was awful - this lady came in and tried to teach us the Queen's English. I hated those lessons with a passion; they were really patronising and a total waste of time. Many of the girls at school are from very wealthy backgrounds anyway, and to attempt to make them any "posher" was plain daft. My brother who is at a boys' school had something similar, where they learnt things like proper table manners and etiquette etc. I can't remember the name of the lesson but it was quite funny.

We have to put boxes on forms for 'ethnicity' and 'geographic ancestry' - the names and options on these boxes are mandated by the FDA.

Ethnicity is nice and simple:
* Hispanic or Latino
* Not Hispanic or Latino

Geographic ancestry is more complicated. It is meant to be what the person self-defines as [so it's the opinion of the person the form is about, not the opinion of anyone else]. The options are:
* African American/African Heritage
* American Indian or Alaskan Native
* Asian - Central/South Asian Heritage
* Asian - East Asian Heritage
* Asian - Japanese Heritage
* Asian - South East Asian Heritage
* Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
* White - Arabic/North African Heritage
* White - White/Caucasian/European Heritage

We have had problems with Australasian aboriginals - Maori and Australian aborigine both go under 'Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Island', which isn't exactly intuitive (as one rarely thinks of either NZ or Australia as a 'Pacific Island'!)
As for the Asian categories...
* Central includes Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
* South includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
* East includes China, Korea
* South East includes Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Cambodia

Has the thread about the school prize by cjzmum been deleted? It just popped up on my browser with a new post by nova and when I clicked on it it does not appear to be there Odd.

I think so...

It seems so. She didn't seem to like the fact that people weren't entirely agreeing with her, so maybe she asked for it to be deleted.

Seems a little petty. I thought 2- sided debate was healthy and it didn't seem to be heated. Anyway enough said or we might lose this thread too.

I was wondering about that too - I was a bit worried that my last post was the one that puffed it into oblivion - I definitely didn't break any of the rules though. I hope it wasn't me anyway.

N

Didn't see it so cannot possibly comment on that

I am going completely and utterly barking mad. Round the bend. Pencils up the nose and " Wibbet" sort of mad.
Ask Skylark.

Wibble. Half past four, Mr. Hatstand.