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

Your father was infuriatingly optimistic when we had our first child and everybody thought the tiny, odd-looking thing wasn't going to pull through. Later, when she had developed into a beautiful healthy baby and future hootoo smiley editor, he told me that he had been just as worried as me and everyone else, but completely unable to admit it; the only way he could cope with the threat was to stubbornly refuse to acknowledge there was anything wrong.
Looks like that's how he felt he must deal with his own illness all the way through.

I think "stubborn" is the right word...

Let's see, didn't do much today beyond gaming - but yesterday's e-mail answering paid off, heard back from a lot of people I'd not talked to in ages. And I seem to be fine on the bike again, too.

Also, that PhD opportunity looks more intriguing the more I look at it...

Can I just say "perfectly normal male reaction" at this point?

Okay, move along, nothing more to be seen here

Right. Today, I got back on a horse. (A different, calm one - the one too many people have been coming off has been sent away for training.) Poor horse was very confused, because I was huddling in the saddle like a beginner, holding my breath and hoping it wouldn't actually move, and I had to keep reminding myself that this is the one I usually ride one-handed with no stirrups... But we got there in the end. Only for ten minutes or so - she was needed for carriage driving, and my hip was still really feeling the trot - but at least I know I can still do it. Even with the new saddle, which seems not to have been the problem. That's the scary part, since I can't remember what happened, I can't remember what triggered it, so everything feels like a threat...

Sore, but happy now.

(Meanwhile, if you think the US elections used melodramatic rhetoric, just wait till I scan this leaflet we got in the post today...)

That's the most anxious bit over!

Btw, I've seen a few of the leaflets that have been floating around your area today, Mal. 'Melodramatic rhetoric' is putting it mildly. Any sick bags handy?

Was it the one with the photoshopped flag?

No...but apparently the road is under siege by Polish people in burkas!

Ah yes, of course.

Right, today's roundtoit: rang people about both jobs I allegedly have, but where I'm getting no hours.

My boss at the museum was very apologetic, but doesn't need any casuals at the moment. At least I get first refusal with any work days coming up. They've only been getting the men in for some weird rule that I can't quite understand about assuming every woman is pregnant when it comes to heavy lifting, because you're not allowed to ask. Or something.

The other one, I was offered at the end of August and still haven't started First, they wouldn't accept my German driving licence without me threatening to get the consulate involved, then it turned out they hadn't sent in my forms for the police record check thingie until the start of October because they needed time for "processing", which I take to mean "we misplaced it". So now I'm looking for other jobs, even something temporary till they finally get in gear...

I'm also off the hormone pills this week, and really noticing it. I'm sleepy, I'm depressed, I can't concentrate and I get emotional over the tiniest things. It's annoying, but to think that until I finally started them last year I was like this all the time, it's a miracle I ever got anything done.

[Amy P]

Also, managed to wear jeans again today, mainly because I ran out of clean sweats and skirts, but they're actually bearable. Bye-bye bruise!

It's annoying when you're being faffed around like that.

If they actually said "assuming every woman is pregnant when it comes to heavy lifting, because you're not allowed to ask", they are full of caca, of course. It's perfectly legal to ask for risk assessment/health and safety reasons. You wouldn't have to tell, but they can ask. And given that they can ask - and that they wouldn't even need to make any adjustments for you being pregnant until you told them in writing that you were - it's seriously dodgy if they're turning women down for work just on the off-chance that they might be pregnant...

Well, that reasoning hasn't been officially confirmed, it's just speculation by a co-worker at this point. One who's also not getting any work because they've hired in an external company for her job, at greater cost

Right, so I've been looking at jobs on Gumtree. Nothing good there, but a few really odd ones. One is looking for an instructor for "Northern Ireland's largest private skateboarding school", but "UK catfights will be hosting a catfighting and wrestling event soon and are looking for females that would be up for a challenge" is even more dodgy...

Sounds like a non starter that last one!

Oh welll... can you bring your sword?

I'm reading Neverwhere at the minute, where there's a parallel, weird, sinister London overlaid on the one we all know, but existing in the same time and place with most people being oblivious to it.

Gumtree's like that, but international.

Indeed.

Didn't do much today, beyond planning out a quilt I'm sewing for my nephew's birthday. The problem is a dearth of animals starting with a J, at least in German.

Finally did get round to meeting KB, though. And tried on some hiking backpacks. Shouldn't have done that - between them and cycling, my ribs are very painful again. Suspecting they might take the longest to heal, though they were giving me the least trouble at the start!