Thursday, October 16, 2003
[Rant]
Stupid people who hoot. Especially as it's made me cross, and I wasn't, and was actaully quite happy (and don't start pointing put that I choose to be cross not happy, not least because then what would I write?). Me in car, having just stopped by a junction to turn right (across the approaching traffic [i.e. a US left turn] for the silly parts of the world). Why did I stop? Because there is traffic coming the other way, which given that the junction is at the end of a long straight road (coming the other way), and that people rarely drive under the 30mph speed limit (but the council can't use traffic calming, as the ambulance station is on this road), and that it was 5 o'clock, which means that all the people will start surging out of the new offices [well they once were new to me] down the road, in an erratic stream of BMWs, Mercs and Jags, and that there's still a hole in the hedge where someone didn't make the bend (and carried the road sign across the next junction), and there was a nice zebra-y effect of a low sun so the oncoming traffic usually doesn't see you, and I've known this junction all my life and it's always been dodgy, which all combined does rather imply it's not a good idea to try and nip across in front of people [and yes I will remember to breathe soon]. But not according to the person behind me. No, I should go now - at least I think that's what his blast meant, though perhaps it would be more efficient if he used his horn to do morse.
Admittedly I did go in front of the next vehicle, but that's only because he stopped accelerating and actually started braking a bit.
Still, Mr Impatient Fool - Expletive-ing expletive.
And now I'm thinking of Tintin (well blistering barnacles, to be more precise). And whatever happen to "drat"? (or even double drat, although I know this more Mutley than Snowy. And why do the dogs upstage their masters?).
And when will it rain? Because my fingers hurt from the prickles. Confused? The pre-cursing idiots bit, which made me happy was going and nicking chestnuts from a local arboretum (and wandering round taking pics of and looking at the pretty trees, and views, and sun, and nearly being decapitated by a pheasant [they so can]), where of course the biggest ones are actually in the car park thudding onto the roof of the car. And there's still a husk on the back windscreen wiper (maybe that's why he hooted?), which matches the beech masts stuck the bottom of the rear-most windows and the birch seeds in the heaters (although the pre-MOT wash did take out most of the moss, algae and lichen, with assorted fauna). And whatever happened to the first 't' in chestnuts? Perhaps it's one of those forrid-like things ['forrid' being the pronunciation of forehead in certain parts of the country]. And now I'm thinking of all the other quirks of English speech. And names are always fun. St John, Grosvenor (except you always read that as the pronunciation, not the letters), and of course the gloriously insane Featherstone-Haugh. Any guesses? Give yer a clue - it's got two syllables.
I do get distracted don't I? And yes you can have a tangent of a tangent, although it requires the first one to be a curve in the plane perpendicular to the original circle [although some people may argue about the maths of this]. So from looking at the original circle the first tangent goes off in a straight line (well duh), and the second appear to be a continuation or point on that line.
Anyway. Rain, chestnuts, pricked fingers connected how? Usual technique for getting the nuts out from their husks/cases/whatever, consists of rolling them under foot. This doesn't work when it's been so dry for ages that the ground is very fine dust and therefore offers little resistance. Although on the plus side it does mean that all the trees are really droughted, and so acting as though death is imminent, start putting most of their energy into seed production, rather than growth or producing reserves. Hence lots of nuts (and thinner rings in their trunks, although this varies with species and usual climate).
Oh and remind me: A. do not be in a really awkward position taking a photograph of a toadstool when people are going to approach unheard. B. Swimming 1km is not really a good idea when you hurt a muscle on about the fifth length. C. Repeating B 2 days later is also not a good idea. D. Saying you swam 1 km really isn't very impressive when it emerges that you've used a variety of styles (including one I made up, but hey it works), and didn't push that hard, and had breaks at each end to breathe properly. E. Forgetting how to do that moving arms and legs whilst breathing thing is also not a good idea. F. Do not do the same stroke as the children being taught in the other part of the pool, being overtaken is embarrassing, and competing against (and beating) a nine year old is also embarrassing. G. Remembering how to dive properly, only to get to the bottom and then think "and now what?", is not a good idea. H. Diving in and turning over to do backstroke can be quite fun, but not when you meet the slope up towards the shallow end and can't rise quicker than it without losing way, so you bounce along feeling foolish and beginning to worry about breathing. I. Trying to figure out how to duck dive properly, instead of doing one's own weird spiralling thing, whilst approaching the bottom of the pool, is quite frankly daft. J. Must destroy scowly woman in black cap. Well if she's stupid enough be doing a very slow meandering backstroke whilst veering towards someone [me] stuck between her and the rope, clouting said person and cutting their ankle with her diamond ring, and when they apologise (it's a habit) she swims off and then shouts "oh thank you very much" from half the pool away. Stupid bitch troll. Though at least the other people in the pool seemed to think her a bit odd. But howcome people at school have take off jewellery to do PE, but once you're a grown up lumps of metal and stone can't hurt people any more? A wedding ring - well as long as it's smooth I guess that's ok, but sodding great stones cut to have many impeccably sharp edges, that are only there to show how much someone would spend on you? No wonder she was listing to port, and couldn't keep straight if she's got that much ballast off to the side.
Grrr. Cross again.
So trying to make myself happier - Michael Portillo as a single mum (last night BBC 2). Are you supposed to have hysterics at the sight of a Tory ex-minister dancing (on his own, in a kitchen) to Aqua? Giggle. And please don't point out that I managed to identify the song. And then him doing American Pie (he wasn't awful). Snigger. Actually I think he did quite well (well given the likelihood of Wipe Swap-esque chaos), even if the Guardian wishes to harrumph about it (look up the review yourself). Ok so there's some single-rich-man-with-cleaner obvious things, but he really wasn't bad.
Anyway, so as I’m happier now, I'll be off to cook.
PS type thing. Can't have me writing without linking - so someone who is quite interesting (or at least in parts). But I did a science degree, so it's probably not for everyone.
Stupid people who hoot. Especially as it's made me cross, and I wasn't, and was actaully quite happy (and don't start pointing put that I choose to be cross not happy, not least because then what would I write?). Me in car, having just stopped by a junction to turn right (across the approaching traffic [i.e. a US left turn] for the silly parts of the world). Why did I stop? Because there is traffic coming the other way, which given that the junction is at the end of a long straight road (coming the other way), and that people rarely drive under the 30mph speed limit (but the council can't use traffic calming, as the ambulance station is on this road), and that it was 5 o'clock, which means that all the people will start surging out of the new offices [well they once were new to me] down the road, in an erratic stream of BMWs, Mercs and Jags, and that there's still a hole in the hedge where someone didn't make the bend (and carried the road sign across the next junction), and there was a nice zebra-y effect of a low sun so the oncoming traffic usually doesn't see you, and I've known this junction all my life and it's always been dodgy, which all combined does rather imply it's not a good idea to try and nip across in front of people [and yes I will remember to breathe soon]. But not according to the person behind me. No, I should go now - at least I think that's what his blast meant, though perhaps it would be more efficient if he used his horn to do morse.
Admittedly I did go in front of the next vehicle, but that's only because he stopped accelerating and actually started braking a bit.
Still, Mr Impatient Fool - Expletive-ing expletive.
And now I'm thinking of Tintin (well blistering barnacles, to be more precise). And whatever happen to "drat"? (or even double drat, although I know this more Mutley than Snowy. And why do the dogs upstage their masters?).
And when will it rain? Because my fingers hurt from the prickles. Confused? The pre-cursing idiots bit, which made me happy was going and nicking chestnuts from a local arboretum (and wandering round taking pics of and looking at the pretty trees, and views, and sun, and nearly being decapitated by a pheasant [they so can]), where of course the biggest ones are actually in the car park thudding onto the roof of the car. And there's still a husk on the back windscreen wiper (maybe that's why he hooted?), which matches the beech masts stuck the bottom of the rear-most windows and the birch seeds in the heaters (although the pre-MOT wash did take out most of the moss, algae and lichen, with assorted fauna). And whatever happened to the first 't' in chestnuts? Perhaps it's one of those forrid-like things ['forrid' being the pronunciation of forehead in certain parts of the country]. And now I'm thinking of all the other quirks of English speech. And names are always fun. St John, Grosvenor (except you always read that as the pronunciation, not the letters), and of course the gloriously insane Featherstone-Haugh. Any guesses? Give yer a clue - it's got two syllables.
I do get distracted don't I? And yes you can have a tangent of a tangent, although it requires the first one to be a curve in the plane perpendicular to the original circle [although some people may argue about the maths of this]. So from looking at the original circle the first tangent goes off in a straight line (well duh), and the second appear to be a continuation or point on that line.
Anyway. Rain, chestnuts, pricked fingers connected how? Usual technique for getting the nuts out from their husks/cases/whatever, consists of rolling them under foot. This doesn't work when it's been so dry for ages that the ground is very fine dust and therefore offers little resistance. Although on the plus side it does mean that all the trees are really droughted, and so acting as though death is imminent, start putting most of their energy into seed production, rather than growth or producing reserves. Hence lots of nuts (and thinner rings in their trunks, although this varies with species and usual climate).
Oh and remind me: A. do not be in a really awkward position taking a photograph of a toadstool when people are going to approach unheard. B. Swimming 1km is not really a good idea when you hurt a muscle on about the fifth length. C. Repeating B 2 days later is also not a good idea. D. Saying you swam 1 km really isn't very impressive when it emerges that you've used a variety of styles (including one I made up, but hey it works), and didn't push that hard, and had breaks at each end to breathe properly. E. Forgetting how to do that moving arms and legs whilst breathing thing is also not a good idea. F. Do not do the same stroke as the children being taught in the other part of the pool, being overtaken is embarrassing, and competing against (and beating) a nine year old is also embarrassing. G. Remembering how to dive properly, only to get to the bottom and then think "and now what?", is not a good idea. H. Diving in and turning over to do backstroke can be quite fun, but not when you meet the slope up towards the shallow end and can't rise quicker than it without losing way, so you bounce along feeling foolish and beginning to worry about breathing. I. Trying to figure out how to duck dive properly, instead of doing one's own weird spiralling thing, whilst approaching the bottom of the pool, is quite frankly daft. J. Must destroy scowly woman in black cap. Well if she's stupid enough be doing a very slow meandering backstroke whilst veering towards someone [me] stuck between her and the rope, clouting said person and cutting their ankle with her diamond ring, and when they apologise (it's a habit) she swims off and then shouts "oh thank you very much" from half the pool away. Stupid bitch troll. Though at least the other people in the pool seemed to think her a bit odd. But howcome people at school have take off jewellery to do PE, but once you're a grown up lumps of metal and stone can't hurt people any more? A wedding ring - well as long as it's smooth I guess that's ok, but sodding great stones cut to have many impeccably sharp edges, that are only there to show how much someone would spend on you? No wonder she was listing to port, and couldn't keep straight if she's got that much ballast off to the side.
Grrr. Cross again.
So trying to make myself happier - Michael Portillo as a single mum (last night BBC 2). Are you supposed to have hysterics at the sight of a Tory ex-minister dancing (on his own, in a kitchen) to Aqua? Giggle. And please don't point out that I managed to identify the song. And then him doing American Pie (he wasn't awful). Snigger. Actually I think he did quite well (well given the likelihood of Wipe Swap-esque chaos), even if the Guardian wishes to harrumph about it (look up the review yourself). Ok so there's some single-rich-man-with-cleaner obvious things, but he really wasn't bad.
Anyway, so as I’m happier now, I'll be off to cook.
PS type thing. Can't have me writing without linking - so someone who is quite interesting (or at least in parts). But I did a science degree, so it's probably not for everyone.
