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

Today I gave my professional speech to a conference of about 140 people. I'd written it, practiced it, got feedback, re-written it, did the powerpoint slides, sent them off to the conference organiser, then rewritten it and practiced it again.

This morning I was awake at about 4.30am with the speech running through my head. I eventually set off at 7.00am and arrived at the conference venue at 8.00am.

I'd not done a speech with powerpoint before, so I went through how to move the slides on and was still a bit worried about them fitting with my speech now that I'd amended it yet again.

Come the time for me to speech, it went down well. I could have been smoother with the powerpoint (at one point I had covered what was on the next slide, but by and large I was pleased with it.

I had another Toastmaster club meeting tonight and did an evaluation for a lovely woman with a speech impediment. She did really well.

I've been asked as well as to be President, to be involved in the setting up of another club nearby. I'll need to think about this carefully, because of the time commitment, but it is really flattering to be asked.

Well done ZSF I'll bet you felt all buzzy after the speech, didn't you? What a great thing to do.

Good grief though girl !! You've been saying you need more time for yourself and for little If you take on the President job and setting up another club, you might be eating into the time you've got left at the moment

Am I being very Mumsy? Feel free to ignore me (like I do my Mum )


Fb

My dear Fb

Are you being very Mumsy? At the moment my work-life balance is out of kilter. It seems to be all work and no play. I don't have a social life worth mentioning and to be honest, apart from R and Toastmasters, I didn't have a social life. I am looking forward to the challenge of being President as I see it might broaden my social horizons and I'm wondering whether being part of the working group for the new club might also help with that. I don't have to commit myself immediately, though, as nothing's likely to kick off until September. By that time, I am likely to have a greater feel for how much work being President will take.

I have struggled with being a single parent to try to have a balanced life. I became more detached from contact with other friends whilst I was going out with R. I think it would have been helpful if I had set some boundaries about still seeing friends. Trouble was, he wasn't interested in the kinds of things we did and also begrudged the fact that the activities tended to take place on Sundays and as he only saw me at weekends, that squeezed the time. During the week, I tend to be too tired, plus there's looking after little and helping with homework and chaufferring (sp?) duties. Come to think of it, both of us need to expand our circle of friendships. There aren't many children within walking distance of us, particularly in his age group. Mmm, needs thinking about.

Is there something you can do together, that will expand both of your social circles at the same time - as well as being an activity that you can share enthusiasm for?

Needless to say I can't think of an example off-hand! What about bird clubs, or athletics, or art? Anything that you both might enjoy...

Congratulations ZSF! What an achievement!

W

Fb

I'll think about going back to the Quaker meeting (although I suspect that most of the children who went when little was smaller probably now don't go). I could also think about going back to the Sufi group, which has a children's service once a month. Trouble is, I'm not sure whether having been away from it for so long, it will appeal to him now. It may take a lot of marketing.

He's interested in doing fencing - there's a club in Greenwich, and I'll find out the costs involved.

I spoke with my best friend on the phone now and have arranged to go for a weekend in July. I'm really looking forward to that.

Thanks Woodpigeon,

It felt really nice to be appreciated.

A weekend away Just what I'm in the midst of organising for myself too. Good plan.

Fb

Some nice serendipity happened to me just as I was leaving from work. Someone from another authority sent round an e-mail about a performance of "African Sanctus" at St Martin-in-the-Fields this Tuesday coming. I sang in this years ago and it's brilliant. Little is coming with me and I think it's the first concert he will ever have gone to. Yay!

Music in churches It'll be wonderful, ZSF. I hope little enjoys it. Will he be able to let himself drift away on a cushion of music?

The accoustics in churches/cathedrals lends itself to choral and organ music and never fails to send goosebumps up my spine

When I was 13 Mum took me to see the Halle play Rachmaninov Symph 2 in Chester Cathedral and I have been in love with live classical performances ever since.

I wandered into Christchurch Cathedral (NZ) a few years ago, just as an organist started a final rehearsal for his evening concert. I sat at the back of the nave and came out 3 hours later, wondering where the afternoon had gone

Please let us know all about the concert, won't you?

Fb

Certainly will, Fb

http://www.africansanctus.com/music.asp - this is the piece we're going to listen to.

Well, you can't ask for a better piece of music than African Sanctus as a first concert!

Allah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-oo ek-ber!

It's a really brilliant piece, isn't it, Gnomon? I still have the music from when I sang it all those years ago.

Saaanctus tus domininus - tu hu hus domin!

We sang it back in the 80s and it was great fun, although a real headache for the conductor who had to synchronise us with the tapes, when the people on the tapes didn't always keep strict time or pitch.

Philips issued a CD of an English choir performing it, in which the choir sang a semitone out of tune with the Muezzin all the way through the Kyrie, which was a shame.

Yes, it was in the 80s when I sang it too. Just had a look at the B'Ham Choral Union website - the conductor who was there when I was in the choir is still there - he was very young then - and found that the choir started in 1882, so it's been active in three centuries.

Little threw a strop tonight - I gather something upset him at school, but he won't tell me what it was. Now he doesn't want to go to the concert.

Hi,

Do you think he told someone where he was going and they laughed. Just a thought . Classical stuff tends to get sneered at in some quarters- as that little boy on Britain's Got Talent found out.

Websailor

'Do you think he told someone where he was going and they laughed.' I don't *think* it was that, Websailor (although I don't really know). I think there was an incident at school that has thown him sufficiently out of kilter that he would reject anything I wanted him to do, just because he didn't feel good about himself. For instance, I came home early to do some work (all the papers were at home) and so he got a very early and very nice meal (steak, baked potatoes and green beans) and he wanted to throw it in the bin. He didn't, though!

Then he stomped around and wanted me to drive back into town so that he could sell all sorts of his things to make a bit of money and got very stroppy when I said no. I think he has great difficulty at the best of times hearing the word 'no' as he tends to take it as a rejection of him. It made it very difficult for me to get my work done (it was very draining), and I've only just finished it.

Oh ZSF...
Is the concert tonight? I do hope little will have cooled down a little by then.

It's so hard being a kid... and even harder being a parent. And it's very hard to learn the difference between rejection and loving guidelines for life.

'It's so hard being a kid... and even harder being a parent' - yes, isn't it My dad phoned me up - it is hard when they're so far away and I don't really have local support. Talking with him really helped.

The concert is tonight. After a night's sleep, little seems a bit better in himself. I'm showing him where food is so that he can feed himself before we go out to the concert. Nothing difficult, just pizza, which he'll like. Fingers crossed everything will be OK tonight.

I do hope all goes well for you both. My eldest was a real handful, so I have an inkling of what you are coping with. Very exhausting.



Websailor

I wonder how it went... I really hope you both enjoyed yourselves