Stolen

It’s Friday, and yet Scary’s story contains no porn, vomit, or shit.

I think someone’s stolen Scary, and replaced him with an android running Mary_Whitehouse_1.3.1

Next

It may be just up here, and in fact dear God I hope it’s just up here, but has anyone else’s Next store got silver christmas trees in the window?

Repeat after me : “IT’S TOO FUCKING EARLY!“

Writing and Webstuff

Well, the application I was utterly logjammed on yesterday has now been submitted. No idea how well I’ll do, but the supporting letter ended up being deemed OK on its third re-write, and then got checked by two good friends, tweaked slightly, and it’s now winging its way to the organisation concerned.

I’ve no idea how it’ll do, but I do know it’s a position I’d like to take up. In fact, the only stumbling block with the job itself is the title that goes with it.

Why do some organisations stick with the title “Webmaster”? It’s bloody atrocious, and as one person said last night, “evokes memories of Dungeons and Dragons, some image of a gnomish wizened character casting spells to make the site work”. It’s wank, and worse it’s early-90’s wank, with a healthy dose of pretension. Given the opportunity, the title may get subtly changed.

But in the meantime, what do other organisations use as a title for that “webmaster”-type role?

Sarcasm

Oops. Ever have a day where a dose of minor sarcasm is really misguided?

*Phone rings*
“Hello, IT, Stinky’s phone”
“Ah, hello, is Stinky in?“
“No, he’s not come in yet.”
“OK, I’ll call back later – will he be in for 9.30?“
“I’m not sure – he’s not in yet.”
“Oh, I’ll call back at 9.30 then.“
“OK, but he might not be in ’til ten. Do you want me to check via telepathy?”
“I’ll try him at ten. Let him know it’s *IT Chief Exec, Stinky’s boss’s boss’s boss.*“
“OK”. *puts phone down* “Oh, bugger.”

In fairness, he a) was being effing stupid, and b) didn’t give his name ’til the end of the call. But all the same, Ooops.

Boy,4, saves sister.

You know, there are times (and yes, today is one of them) where stories like this one about a 4yr old boy saving his little sister from drowning that enrage me. Great, the little darling saved his sister when she had an epileptic-type fit in the bath. No problem with that. What causes me the problem is explained in the next couple of paragraphs from the story.

Sophie’s fit began without warning while she was in the bath with Bradley at the family home in Chadderton, near Oldham.

Andrea, who was bathing them, had gone into the bedroom to get their pyjamas. She returned immediately and found Bradley had lifted Sophie’s head over the side of the bath to stop her drowning.

Sophie has suffered convulsions for about a year. They occur without warning and cause her to shake violently and lose consciousness.

So let’s get this one right. The girl has had these fits for a year – and they kick in with no warning. Yet the mother has both her kids in the bath, and walks off out of the room to get their pyjamas?!? Is the woman bloody unhinged? Or just disorganised?

I wonder what the story would have said, had she buggered off out of the room and come back to find her daughter drowned? Whose fault would it all have been then? She’s flaming lucky that the boy was there, and knew something of what to do. He does deserve to be recognised for that, definitely – but equally the mother deserves to be recognised as the kind of idiot who leaves her young children in the bath unattended, regardless of whether one is prone to fits or not.

RoSPA (The Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents) on its page about Child Safety says “Never leave children or babies in the bath unsupervised, even for a moment.“. (down near the bottom of the page, under “Drowning”) According to their figures on the same page, 20 children a year die of drowning – this woman is lucky her daughter didn’t become one more part of that statistic.

Bob Marley (we’re Jammin’)

Yesterday France passed a law allowing jamming of mobile phones in certain areas (cinemas, theatre, etc.) On the BBC’s site today, they ask whether we should have the same thing in the UK. Having spent plenty of time in the “Quiet” coaches of trains with the Nokia ringtone blaring out at top volume, I can honestly say that the answer should be a resounding “YES!“.

What say you?

Writing

Gah. Why is it that I can write stuff on here all day if necessary (and given the inclination/material/time) yet when I really need to get a supporting statement for a job application done, the entire thing just falls over and fails me?

What’s worse is that this one is for a job I actually quite fancy doing – charity-based, fairly well-paid, decent location, and mega kudos on the CV. Plus they’re not likely to be a fly-by-night organisation that just folds up and fucks off. So it’s all well and good, and I’m more than qualified. I just can’t get the supporting stuff to flow properly. Gah.