Old Guard Whosers

5.10.02

 
well interest in this seems to be slowing a bit. Oh well was worth a try! :-) News on the job: well they are training me up, but they still haven't got round to sitting down to talk about hours and pay etc... The guy who is the boss is very nice but always looks tired, and everyday says "we will do it tomorrow"... I am going to have to demand soon I suppose. Still at least i am back in work and I still think it will lead to something interesting!
Just finishing off my JAM tape copying for the weekend. Looking at some Have I Got News For You specials courtesy of Mica. Oh how lucky I am!
Dean 11:13:00 PM

1.10.02

 
Forgot I was going to comment on hotels, having spent some time in them on holiday. I think Joe's comment on Fawlty Towers has relevance. the London hotel, which wasn't cheap and was in Bayswater which is reasonably upmarket employed a lot of staff that couldn't speak English including in positions like receptionist, barmaid etc... Questions they couldn't understand "my name is Bedford" "do you have a pen?" "what beers do you have?" (This is no joke). The thing is that without exception, just like Manuel in Fawlty Towers, they were hugely keen to help me if they could, but it was just, like in fawlty Towers, that the hotel proprietors couldn't be arsed giving them proper training... it is cheap to hire these foreigners even if they can't speak English.... Mark I found the French service worse there. the French could understand what i was saying, they just didn't believe in helping anyone.
Dean 7:37:00 PM

 
I was going to post something in reply to Susan who was very kindly offering to advise me on the job hunting, but i see the post of mine and her reply has already fell off the main page. (Yes I know it's in the archive but I can't be sure of her seeing it there.) So Susan: thank you indeed but I feel that the issues aren't such that you can help me with at the moment. I know I want to have a go at radio and that this is a great opportunity. The problem really is that Radio New Zealand is dithering. I know the reasons which aren't actually about me. If the RNZ job falls through I will have to rethink what I want to do, maybe then I will be knocking (emailing?) at your door but that's unlikely.
It's a beautiful spring day ( at 6.40am) and in my last few days before a probable return to work I am thinking of driving up the coast for a day at the beach... it's not warm enough for swimming but it will be great to be in the sun again and listen to some JAM tapes maybe! Right now am copying some classic Have I Got News For You for the saintly Mica... lucky her getting a cast of Paul merton, Ian Hislop, Angus Deayton, Clive Anderson, Tony Slattery, Eddie Izzard, Julian Clary, Sandi Toksvig, Bill Bailey, Graeme Garden and Spike Milligan all on one tape...
Am very amused by the stories about John Major's affair ... is very hard to imagine him as a Romeo somehow! Inspired to write a John Major hoedown...
My name is Mr Major, back to basics, that's my thing!
That'll be the policy that'll keep me in 10 Downing
But sometimes I wake up at night, pondering my life
Now which side of the bed do I put Edwina? And which side my wife?

Oh well it amused me! :-)
Dean 6:54:00 PM

 
Just a quick note - Mark rang me yesterday, which was v v v cool, and though we can't manage to meet up today, hopefully we can do some point in the future.
Nattie 5:04:00 PM

30.9.02

 
Little weekend update. Went to see the inlaws this weekend, which was OK, except for the fact I seem to have had a migraine. This struck when we went out for a drink with an old friend of Ben's (though I assure you all it has nothing to do with the fact that said friend is an utter Christian dullard that I had to run to the ladies' loo and lose dinner). Sunday was nicer, hung out with brother-in-law and his grilf and their housemate, on what is probably the last sunny day this year in the south of England. Friday I managed to totally accidentally (oh yeah) order two CDs from Park Records (one of Maddy Prior with her daughter and another lady, one the most recent Carnival Band Christmas CD). I look forward to their appearance, and to the appearance in the post of the new Bostridge CD which my friend Bridget is sending me as it's not her preferred style of music.
Nattie 9:20:00 AM

 
I finally played my flute jury (postponed due to health problems) last Friday! Now I need to get down to business and catch up (*snort*) on all the work I put off while preparing for the jury.

In other news: my post on September 21 refuses to show up. I selected "Post & Publish" when I wrote it, and I've "edited" then "Post & Publish"ed it several times since; it shows up on the "Post to Old Guard Whosers" page when I've logged in to Blogger, just not at oldguardwhosers.blogger.com. I've tried using Mozilla, Internet Explorer, and Opera to publish it, all with no success. Help!
Katherine 2:21:00 AM

29.9.02

 
I just finished my article for Jess's page so i am trying to follow the instructions of Mama Dana! I hope she will like it. and it isn't too long. It's a discission of Paul Merton... has been fun writing it. She's already asked me to do another one, but she might change her mind once she's read the first!
Dean 3:08:00 AM