h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a list of movies that I want to see that's as long as a couple of lines. I think that Ineed your help on Stepford Wives. Most other things J can probably cope with (thanks lucky stars for 12a rating), but I'm not sure he'd like to sit through a film about loads of women. Happy to squeeze in between your girls if you are going with them?

I think I've also got Shrek 2 and King Arthur on my list. And The Village. And something else that I can't put my finger on...

I'm not sure why I put that smiley in there.

Are you enjoying your holiday? Doing some nice things I hope? I've got another week off next week, and I'm planing to decorate. I'm quite looking forward to getting started, although once I do I'll probably be swearing and cursing. I changed the colours - I'm now going for Barley Straw and Terracotta. The green was just too dark.

Oh yes, and I'm an aunty again. My mum texted me at five thirty this morning to tell me. I think it's a boy! She didn't say much, but that's what the scan showed. Hopefully I'll hear a bit later on today.

3 posts to me in the space of 10 mins? Are you bored?

Funnily enough, Moonlight and I were discussing The Village last night. It was started by the scary ad with a reminder of the director's previous films. That had us hiding behind the cushion for fear of catching an unexpected glimpse of HJO. (We really, really can't stick him!)

The Stepford Wives might be one to go for. I'll ask them next time we are all together in one place. Sunshine is away working at her stepmother's office and Moonlight is being a luvvie for the week, so is busy rehearsing. I'm teaching myself how to be a Maths teacher ready for September.

I've been decorating too, bathroom and downstairs loo are now a lovely shade of pale purple. I'm very pleased with how it looks and I have enough paint left for the en-suite so they'll all match. I like the sound of the Terracotta. The decorating elves didn't come round at night after you left all the pictures out for them to see?

for the new auntie and an for the new cousin.

I wasn't bored at all, I wanted some nice conversation. I miss having conversations. I can't keep up with most of the ones that I want to join in. Although I have been enjoying some threads that have been going on recently. I am learning the art of the lurker!

I saw the same trailer that you saw I think - it's what meade me remember to ask about the others. The other one I wanted to see but couldn't remember was I, Robot. I will take J to see some of these, so don't worry that I'm trying to book up your summer for you!

I'll let you know when I'm free, so we can try to find a handy time. I'm free this weekend, at home with J next week (maybe an afternoon when the paint is drying?), then on Sat 14th he's going on holiday with his dad, so although I'll be working I will be free those evenings. He's back on Sat 21st, but that's his dad's weekend anyway, so I'm free again then.

Maths teacher? Is that wise? All those numbers, they seem to jump around when I try to do anything with them. What's making you do that?

Pale purple sounds lovely. That didn't take you long! I came home on Monday night and wanted to get started withthe paintbrush, so I think this time I really am going to decorate something, rather than half preparing and never actually doing anything.

right, have to dash, J is complaining of 'tummy ache' which I never know how to deal with. Most likely it's the feeling of being full he thinks is pain. When he got his first hunger pang about the age of 7 he thought he had a stomach ache as well. Blasted Ritalin! I should be able to have the results of his eeg and ecg next week, if they will give them over the phone.

I forgot to ask, who's HJO?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005286/bio

Or, if you need a pic (I'll just hide behind the sofa) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005286/

Busy busy busy this week. I'd forgotten about what happens when you sign your kid up for a theatre week. You think it's going to be a peaceful time but instead there's bits of costume to be made/found every night. It's meant a trip to the charity shop or out with the needle every night so far.

I might have to put the plans for seeing a film on hold, what with money, as they say, being too tight to mention and payday just a distant speck on my Calender Girls calender. I sat down and looked at the finances yesterday and gave myself a fright. I tried to get exam marking at the start of the hols but by the time I applied they were full for my subject. Next time I'll get in earlier. Wasn't there some survey recently about how expensive it is to have the kids on summer holiday? I've never been able to afford for the family to go away anywhere at all and next summer will be our last chance before one flys the nest.

>>"Maths teacher? Is that wise? All those numbers, they seem to jump around when I try to do anything with them. What's making you do that?"
Contractural obligation. I can be told to teach all manner of things. My maths background is statistical though so I'm brushing up on my basic algebra.

I hope J is OK? It could just be "growing pains" too, a perfectly normal part of getting older. Fingers crossed that the eeg and acg bring positive news.

On hold is fine, I can always rent the DVD later in the year! Will take J to a few though - will want a rest from decorating, even if it's just to get out to stop him brushing past wet paint.

I didn't realise that you were adept with a needle. I hope you've taken some photographs.

Shame about the extra work, a paper round? It's not fun money being tight - I'm lucky at the moment, the amount of benefits an ADHD child brings in is bizarre. He doesn't really cost me any more money, although if I'd still been self-employed it would have covered me for the times I can't work. At the moment the Beeb is more than happy to accomodate me, although I do try to arrange appointments early in the morning so it's not too disruptive, or when I'm going to be off anyway. J's ECG has come back normal. Which is good news. So just waiting to hear from the dietician. My sister-in-law has been getting as much food into J as she can this week, he has a little protruding stomach! Very good to see, although we hope the holiday in Turkey doesn't undo all the good work by giving him a stomach upset. Hopefully the full belly will spread itself around his body over time - I'm not sure how long it takes to put on weight, there never seems to be anything about high-calorie/fat diets in the media. His tummy ache returned in the form of feeling a bit sick after he'd scoffed a very large tea, then a milkshake and a squash drink. So I'm convinced it's just feeling full. He hasn't complained of either again.

Isn't is a bit worrying that they can make you teach what they like? If you've been doing one subject very well, it seems a little bit of a waste of your talents to get you do teach something you might be a bit rusty on. Mind you, the BBC sort of do that. If a project ends, you get moved to a space, and if push comes to shove, you take what they offer you if you want to work!

My job is going to be more 'teachery' than I ever expected - we are expanding the training side of what I do, so people will be writing down things I say. It's weird that people ask me things and expect my answer to be right and helpful. I still can't get used to it!

HJO - terrifying! Didn't like the 6th sense much, felt tricked.

Never saw 6th Sense but it was A.I. that did it for us. All that staring and not blinking.

The maths thing is just a small part of my working week and it's to fill a gap in the school timetable. Nothing much changes and I like to think that it's not so much a waste of my talent, but a recognition that I have plenty of talent and can rise to the challenge. I'm still in charge of all the other things that I do. And I'm always on the look out for guest speakers, especially ones that would like a bit of experience with an audience. Know anyone?

I'd be the oldest paper girl in the village and I can't ride a bike! I did think about doing some temping actually. I used to take telephonist work in my student days and Sunshine is registered with some agencies. She's done a couple of days office stuff (ever see the episode in Black Books where Fran gets a job?) But if I temped that would leave the kids on their own in our last summer together and if I wanted to do that I wouldn't have stayed as a teacher. I do have a lot of paperwork to do and once the results are in term effectively starts for me anyway.

My own fault. If I'd have applied for the marking immediately I got the nasty shocker bill in the post I might have made the ends meet over the summer, or at least get the ends to be able to see each other and wave. I have a friend who pays me to garden for her from time to time so I imagine when she gets back from holiday she will need some work doing to it.

Good news about the ecg! Maybe you should pop by Kelli's page and ask her about the diet thing? She's an expert at what takes weight off and how long that takes, so maybe she can reverse her thinking? Does he dash around immediately after eating a big meal? That would make me feel a bit too.

I'd forgotten about AI - I quite liked that. Stupid, but different. Blues shark hated it, although he did watch it with me, bless. Had a nice chat on msn with him the other day - we can only do that when he's not at work and I am.

It's been put into my work appraisal that I want to be able to do small presentations, so I will try to fit you in, although the thought still terrifies me! You said you'd send the general studies course, so I could see the things they do? I can tailor something to fit then. If I think I've got anything suitable of course. Online ettiquette maybe...

J tried to strangle my sister-in-law's son yesterday, so she sent him to my mum. She (and my brother) think that I am not strict enough with him, which is why I get the 'big things' and they don't with their kids. They were trying to be helpful, not just critical, but then they asked me why I didn't tell J off when we left, as he saw I was leaving and opened the door and stood outside, because I hadn't told him to do it! No wonder they think I'm not strict enough with him, if they think that going outside a door is misbehaving. Still, not the first time he's beensent home from a carer. And I've got a year until the next summer holiday, so maybe he'll be on a different medication by then, and I can eep him on it in the holidays. I had noticed the day before that she was letting him drink a (still) panda pop, one of those cheap nasty drinks, and although I'm not saying that it cause the affray, he really shouldn't be drinking anything like that! I had tried to supply his food, but she made a big fuss about it being easier for her to feed him what her kids were having. I gave in, because she had builders round all week. If anyone has him again, I will insist that it's on the condition that he only eats and drinks food that I have supplied. He's on organic cordial and fruit juice only here! Mind you, who knows what his dad is doing! Maybe I'll ask him to start a food diary for J...

I had a letter from the consultant today, well, it's to the GP, and I'm copied. Here are some highlights with my comments:

'delightful 9 1/2 year old boy' - as long as he's not with other children
'has a very poor diet'
'never been challenged with dairy products' - that's wrong, I'm sure I told her we'd tried, and the symptoms always came back in the past! Am in the middle of trying again.
'very underweight and pale'

She kept going on about him not drinking enough, but she didn't let me finish telling her how much he drinks per day, so I think she's wrong. He needs 6 glasses of drink a day, and although he doesn't have much at school, I think he has that amount here and at his dads!

Anyway, have droned on for a while, I need to measure my living room to see how many pots of paint I need to buy. I have an admirer coming round to help tomorrow. He happened to ask if I was free this weekend, and I said yes, but hadn't planned to go out because I wanted to decorate, and he offered to come and help! Lucky timing I think.

I thought I'd replied to this. Maybe I'm thinking of an email.

'delightful 9 1/2 year old boy' - well he is! How are things after a few days back at school? Are you keeping the food diary? At least he's not pale and underweight now, but it seems a shame if all that's going to happen is to undo all the good of the summer holidays.

Oh, and to all the people who want to tell you how to bring up your own child,

email sent about going to the pictures, or something.

Email answered. There was another email somewhere that I wanted to answer, so you might get another one at some point.

He's got a young teacher this time round, so hopefully he'll fall in love, and wnat to do everything she says.

I'm still battling the apathy that comes out of his dad's house - they don't listen to him read unless I nag them, so I end up having to make him read here before he goes to bed (interferes with EastEnders!) and they never seem to make him do any homework. I get very cross, but what can I do? Just a bit tired of being 'bad parent' all the time.