Made me smile - not as good as a nice cold Pimms though

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story...-strike_1220783

Any other stories to cheer everyone up at this stressful time?

Works out how much money that would save if Emsoboe took the same course of action.

Don't do it!!!
Long ago I dragged my husband off to watch daughter perform in her first ballet showcase. He spent the second half (in which our little darling played no part) calculating how much money we had invested in helping her acheive sufficient standard to be allowed to appear on stage for just over 3 minutes.

"And that," he pronounced sombrely at the end of the show, "Is money we will never see again."

That way madness lies .....

re the hunger striking - I suppose at least it would be a way of saving some money towards new music books. Just spent ?17 on Amazon - that's a lot of dinners.

Don't worry! I spend my time working out how i can earn more money to feed the music monster.

Every term I work out how much money we've spent on DS1's activities - a small fortune and that doesn't include the extras such as books, music, footy boots....

DS came home from his Tiffin Tutor yesterday and reported that the test she sat them was one he had done at home. He told her he'd already done it and she just told him to try it again!! So not only did we fork out to buy the practise tests that she'd recommended - we also spent ?30 for a lesson with her where he did exactly the same work. I'm sure that there is something wrong here.....I think that I'm in the wrong business!!!

When Hugh Laurie plays the piano on House, is that not him playing then? Or did his parents win in the end? I didn't know he played the saxophone.

Yep that is him playing - not sure whether the hunger strike worked or whether it just delayed things!!! He's just released an album (sorry showing my age ) a CD!!!

Laurie claims to be 'pre-dominantly self taught' on piano - like another of my fave piano playing comedians, Victoria Wood, who apparently played the piano in secret when she was growing up because her parents made her feel so guilty for giving up lessons.

Is it not still called an album? After all - most people won't even have it on CD - they'll have it on (illegal) download.

Thanks TDM - I will have to get my terminology up to date before DS becomes a teenager and I really embarrass him!!! Then again I'm sure I'll do that one way or another!

My teenage nieces assure me that parents shouldn't try to be modern and up to date - it's much better that they relax into being old and uncool and out of touch (which is handy really because that was what I was planning on doing anyway. )

Having just schooled myself into not referring to GCSEs as O levels I was told off yesterday for saying "When I did my GCSE's..." instead of O levels. Seems we can't win.

Can parents ever win?!!!

DH and I sit talking at dinner sometimes then burst out laughing as we know that we sound just like our parents used to!!! "Do you remember when....?" then we realise that we are talking about things that happened 20-odd years ago!! The joy of looking back eh?

It only gets frustrating when one of us says "Do you remember whatsisname who was in that band called, oh what was it, they sang that song about blah" with a reply of "Oh wasn't he married to whatsername who was in that fllm with him married to soandso?" And it takes us a couple of days to actually get back to the original person!! DSs do look at us a bit funny when that starts!

This made me laugh... but not for a funny reason ..... my parents used to with-hold food if I didn't practice!


(I soon gave up (!) but am now playing the instrument as an adult learner and certainly not starving myself!!! ! )

HA HA That's a good one!!! I wonder what your parents would say if you reminded them!!

I do with-hold treats, but not actual meals! Maybe I should try that instead!!!

Although it doesn't sound like it worked very well!!!

DD does not practise as much as she should but she is progressing well and her teachers are happy with it.

I do keep reminding her how much we spend on her activities. I just had a receipt for her music books today. All these expenses adds up to a large amount at the end of the month.

After a long discussion she has given up dancing as she was not enjoying it she has spent 3 years learning it and has always had distinction in her exams so far) and it is so difficult as a parent to do this especially if your child is good at it. But it is a big commitment and she dances nearly 4-5 hours a week and we took the view that we wont like if someone wanted us to do something we dont enjoy for 4-5 hours a week.

By the way -totally unrelated question - How do you guys get the smilies in your post? sorry I am technoligically very primitive.

There's a set of emoticons in the panel next to where you type. All you need to do it click on the one you want and it appears as a word in your text. Then it turns into a smilie when you post.

Thanks Chris

...Of course each emoticon is small bit of code starting and finishing with a : so if there is one you really like, eg.
just type the word inside two colons leaving a space either side.

Click on the BB Code Help stuff if you are interested in that side of things.

but this is