Yes, how on earth did they manage to appropriate the term R&B? Bah, humbug.

Anyone got any other "pet" words or terms which no longer mean what they used to?

I've given up arguing that point... Wonder what John Lee Hooker would think, and whether BB King is outraged at the hijacking of the term?

Got to love proper R&B

It's clearly an age thing. Perhaps there should be an Appelation R&B Controlee.

Actually, the correct answer is Gabriella Cilmi

May as well post a 'bookend' to go with my previous one:

No idea what Lady Gaga sounds like or looks like. Radio Gaga yes, but only because it has been unavoidable over the years and I only really like a couple of Queen songs anyway and only then due to the nostalgia that it elicits.

i cant stand lady gaga either

and i agree Rnb is not RnB any more in the slightest. not the slightest hint of what Rnb stands for is inthe music today Rnb has become a term now that just means "music by black artists" much the same as "urban" its not a musical genre its a way to segregate black artists from the pop music charts. rhianna beyonce et all are imo "pop" but because they are black they must be singing Rnb or Urban music.

now Alicia Keys...thats some Rnb right There

To change topics randomly (well this is the random thread).

My mum used to work for a man called Barry. Talking to her, I have just found out that his actual name is Barrington.

So I'm afraid our b-c is now renamed in my head to Barrington-Clarington

Thank you Maizie

As much as I like to support the High Street, I could not get what my Mum wanted there and had to order from the internet.

It was reported in the Metro this morning that Miss Ellie, a blind 15-year-old Chinese Crested Hairless, won the pedigree category in the World's Ugliest Dog competition


awwww bless....

I have no idea what to get my husband for our wedding anniversary this weekend.....

I've dropped hints on some costume jewellery and a handbag I've seen - for "any events coming up that you'd like to buy me a present for" - could be my birthday either.

But now I don't know what to buy for him...... shopping thursday so a bit of time to think at least.

Don't buy anything - just give him a free pass for the weekend - all my married friends would agree that'd be a fantastic present!

5 exams down, 11 to go

We need a bassoon smiley

My brother suggested that the barry in b-c's name was short for barrinet!

That really isn't funny, Sol!

Was that misconstrued? All I meant was a free pass to go out to the pub with friends, nothing more sinister!

Thanks BM - i wasn't sure how to take this.... but it did strike me as inappropriate in this context. I don't think Solari meant any harm though. The thing is an anniversary is meant to celebrate being together isn't it? Freedom to have a night or day out with mates might be a good birthday or Christmas pressie but not for an anniversary. The thing is my husband values our family time - we have little enough of it - so sending him off out for the day wouldn't really cut it any way.

It just wasn't up to your usual helpful standard - ambiguous to say the least! Good job Dawn knows your heart is in the right place!


Actually, what he might appreciate is some time for just the two of you. Any chance of organising someone to have the kids for the evening and overnight?

It was meant as a joke... I see I'm falling foul of the medium of plain text yet again! I'm just as calamitous with words as I am with chairs!

I've got one of them

If you ever really need someone but don't have anyone... I'm CRB checked. You probably don't know me well enough though, but the offer is there. I hope you think of something! How about lunch at your favourite restaurant and then a walk by the river/on the walls? Or is that too simple... (It's what we did on Valentine's Day )

The 40% is a real terms increase.

RPI in 2001 was 173.3; in 2009 it was 213.7

This means that the £66m in 2009 is equivalent to £66m x 173.3/213.7 = £53.5m in 2001 prices i.e 40% greater than £38m

[I don't work for the audit office, just spend large parts of my working life messing around with numbers in different price bases, adjusting them for inflation and other similar analyses]

Aaw Celeste that's really sweet. Thankyou. I don't know you very well you are right but that was a really kind thought and I appreciate it. What you did for Valentines sounds fab!! It's the sort of thing we've done for the past two years but we've decided on buying a present this year. He plays guitar so I'm considering something on that front.....

or I bought him a watch a number of years ago which is currently sitting in a drawer unworn as the battery has run out. I initially thought he may have misplaced it until I went rummaging yesterday and so was considering a new one. ... maybe I could get the battery replaced and give it a polish up and represent it to him in a fancy box??? (with something else of course)

or maybe he needs a new one .... as he's put on a bit of weight over the years (that he keeps trying to lose) and can find his older rings tight ... maybe he needs a new one with a stretchy or adjustable strap????

I'm still thinking.......


My random comment for today - My Dad died 17 years ago today. 17 years is a LONG time. I'm not sure if anyone close to me has remembered!!! (My sister will have but whether we'll speak today I don't know) I'm ok but just feel a bit ... well flat comes to mind. I'm sad for what we've missed out on together but 17 years takes you past the point of the pain being too much to bear so crying doesn't come..... It's a very strange feeling....

From a completely different angle:

If you really want to push the boat out, how about a champagne balloon trip or something like that? Would be very memorable and romantic if you can do around sunset.

Or you could get him a flying lesson experience and go along with him? Fly over your house I took a girl flying with me once but it happened to be on the lesson when I was learning about adjusting the mixture, I managed to mix it too lean and almost stalled the engine, scaring the cr@p out of her!

Is there an artist he particularly likes? Maybe a couple of concert tickets for you and him for a future event??

Why is a text book - as in an academic book - called a text book?

I mean, surely all books (except picture books with no words in) are text books. Or text-and-picture books.

Perhaps due to historical reasons... If I'm not mistaken, "Texts" have usually referred to tomes/scrolls of knowledge and reference?

Most likely right, after all go back far enough and the only texts were the learned ones (before printing, etc, when anything written down had to be 'worthy' stuff, i.e. worth the time and effort involved)

Oooh, that sounds like a really good idea!

About your dad, Dawn... I sort of know what you mean. It's now 8 years since I lost my wonderful Grandpa, and I struggle to cry about it but when I think about all that's happened that he hasn't been a part of... all my music things, my prizes in school, leaving school, starting uni, I feel really strange. Sort of ... empty. I hope you're ok.

Could be totally wrong here, but I've always felt it goes back to school days, where you have both exercise books (to write in) and text books (to read). Hence saying "Get your books out, please, children" is a bit ambiguous, so the adjectives were added. In German, where you have two different words (Heft for exercise book and Buch for text book) the problem doesn't occur.

In French we had a 'cahier de traduction'.

Thankyou Celeste. You are the only one who's said something about it today. I hate it when those I know and love remember but say nothing - it then feels unimportant somehow.... But I can't bring myself to remind them either ... what do you say to them???

My husband used to remember today's date and things like my Dad's birthday and present me with flowers on those days. I don't think he's even remembered today ... and if i remind him it'll seem like I'm having a dig because he's forgotten and I don't want that. I'm not dwelling on it but it's sort of just been there at the back of my mind all day.I really thought my mum might call me today but she hasn't and I wanted to text my sister but to say what??? All I could come up with was "Just want to say hi and hope you're ok." but then wasn't sure....

Sorry.... Just not feeling the usual me right now.

But then, maybe your mum is thinking "I really thought Dawn would call me today" or your sister is thinking "I really want to text Dawn but I don't know what to say".....

Yeah I get what you are saying.... Difficult one with my Mum as there is a Stepfather in the picture and Mum and Dad were separated. She's just rung actually - said nothing about what day it is and neither did I but it was nice to talk to her.

Think I'll text my sister later too. Your right....

On another note BB2 have you seen the end of Lost yet?? Let me know what you thought. Maybe we shoudl do that on the old lost thread though?

Dawn : just seen your post. You never forget, and my thoughts are with you. Celeste, same for you.

MDSS has enquired as to how to get rid of an old piano:

Suppose you were to chop it up and use the wood to make chopsticks; I wonder how many sets of chopsticks a piano could provide?!

Depends how many octaves you feel comfortable playing it in, really!

Several possibilities for starters!

Is it ever played in a key other than F#?

It's 30 years since my Dad died, and I still sometimes feel a bit like this, DawnF. It didn't help that for the first 5 years after his death, Mum couldn't bear to talk about him at all, though later on she liked to.

What has helped me over the years is to talk about him to my children, both of whom were born after his death. I used to tell them when it was his birthday, and also when it was the anniversary of his death, and try to show them the sort of person he was. It didn't upset them, because they'd never known him, but they realised that it was important to me, and appreciated hearing stories about him.

I don't know whether it would help you but a friend of mine had a very odd but also very helpful reaction when I confessed that sometimes I really still miss my grandparents after so many years... and she said "Oh, how wonderful that is!". It might sound a bit corny (she's not English) but as she saw it the pain of remembering someone you miss is a reminder of how lucky you were to have someone you loved so much and that it's a wonderful thing that they are remembered and honoured through that. Knowing her, she'd say that about when you feel a bit "flat" about family not calling... how good it is to care about someone.

Inside this box is a bunch of flowers.

It's Eurovision on Saturday night

See 'Music of the Day' in GMF

that's fab! I love Eurovision

Why do I keep reading books that have traumatic twists in the plotlines? I found it really jarring this morning - doesn't help when I read that sort of stuff on the train before work..

There's a Eurovision Society at Durham University of which BerkshireSon is currently secretary - crazy boy! They get together to watch the semi-finals (Tue and Thur evening) as well as the actual Final. Fortunately his exams finished today!

If you go to uni in another couple of years, Fran*Piano, you can be sure of meeting other enthusiasts!

University was he last time I watched the Eurovision Song Contest - a bit like watching old horror movies, so bad that they're funny (especially in the company of like-minded cynics).

Seriously?! I'll have to find a society similar to this when I go to uni and clavicembalo, you're merely an old cynic-what could be better than laughing at the most ridiculous performers of a particular country?!

I watched the Eurovision Song Contest last year and spent the entire time texting barry-clari because no one was watching it with me