Category Archives: Politics

Dear:

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Nigella Lawson: If you haven’t already left? Leave. Pack a bag and get out. He’ll only get worse. Protect yourself. If he does that in public, was does he already do in private? Please. Get out.

Christina Odone: Just shut the fuck up. I am ashamed that we are both women. Any woman who sits there and tells another woman who has been attacked in public to make up and eat a fucking mars bar is not a woman I want to share the title with. Ever. You are stupid. And so is your article on the matter. To which I shall not link because I don’t want to give you any hits.

Every Other Person Who Is Victim Blaming Anyone: Shut up.

 

Seriously? These Are The Women You Chose?

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Like so many others I know, I’m a bit addicted to The Apprentice. I didn’t start watching it until a series or two ago but now it’s definitely a favourite.

But, I have to say, it pisses me off.

I have spent my entire adult life working with business people, the last 10 years of that, before I launched Designed To A Tee, focussed on entrepreneurs. Supporting them, helping find them, matching them up to funding.

And if even one of them had acted like these idiots on this show? They would have been laughed at.

But forget them in general and let’s look at the women in specific.

Because they are an embarrassment. To professional women. To entrepreneurs. To people.

Most of them with out of control hair, stabbing each other in the back, enough make-up to stock Boots 100 times over and, most importantly, not an ounce of business sense between them.

And after Rebecca Slater’s firing last night? It’s obvious that that’s what Lord Sugar and his co-horts want.

She wasn’t fired because she cost the team the task. Without her, they really would have lost the task.

She was fired because she was dignified, professional and presented herself well.

In other words, boring TV.

So it beggars the question: are you really looking for a business partner Lord Sugar? Or are you looking for a male business partner?

Because with Rebecca gone? The only contenders left are male.

I am the last person to yell “sexism”. If the right person for the job is male? Go for it, hire a man.

But if they only people available for the job who might be able to do the job are male because the women are unprofessional, screaming harpies? Then the deck is stacked.

And I think this deck is stacked.

Stacked so that the winner will be male. Because they haven’t selected any competent women. Well, they did. But then they fired her.

So, what’s the deal, Lord Sugar? Do you want a business partner?

Or do you want a TV show?

Because it would appear you can’t have both.

After Slipping And Sliding To Adam’s School Today

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I headed to City Centre to run some errands.

I have what is know as Mummy’s Never Ending Shopping List. It gets added to all the time and never completely goes away. Today it included stuff we needed from Boots and some groceries along with a handbag, a sauce pan, a train, modelling glue, wine glasses and an ice cream maker.

Interesting list, no?

The handbag has been on my list since The Great Banana Incident of 2012. You see, one day on the way home from school Adam handed me his half eaten banana. Which I stashed in my handbag. And found four days later. I had been using my Fossil Cross Body bag, as I usually do, which is 100% fabric with leather trim. I contacted Fossil to see if it could be cleaned and their answer was yes, but no. In other words, sure, try it, but they sure as heck don’t recommend it!

So I turned it inside out, put it in a pillow case and washed it in the machine while spinning my prayer wheel and praying.

It actually came out usable, but hardly in the best shape and the seams started to wear away. So the hunt for a handbag began.

It should be noted that I am picky picky picky about my handbags. For one thing, I won’t spend more than about £60 on one. For another it has to be a cross body bag as I hate shoulder bags. It has to have at least one inner zipped pocket for my passports (yes, plural) and these days my Kindle Fire HD must fit into it. It has to zip closed. And it would be nice if it was water resistant, if not waterproof.

So The Great Banana Incident of 2012 was in October, I think it was. My mom came to visit not long after it and she gave me my birthday money (even though my birthday isn’t until two weeks from now) and I knew I would spend it on a new handbag.

So I started looking. And looking. And looking. Too small, no pocket, only a snap closure. Handbag after handbag.

Well today I bit the bullet and headed to House of Fraser (no relation) and Handbag Mecca. And lo and behold it’s their Blue Cross Sale and up to 75% off.

So I’m wandering Handbag Mecca and looking and peering and feeling and zipping and get to Radley.

Now anyone who knows me knows I couldn’t give two figs about brands, fashion or otherwise. I buy what I like that I can afford. But it did occur to me that I bought a Radley purse about a year ago because I loved the way it was designed. So I started to look at their sale rack. And found it:

New Handbag

My new handbag, by Radley. Ya know, the ones with the dog? Them.

It is perfect, cross body, inner zipped compartment, holds my Kindle (of course I had it with me, don’t ask silly questions) and water resistant. I’m also pleased because it’s not obviously a Radley as the dogs are just a part of the fabric pattern and it has no hanging dog that needed to be removed.

So what else did I get from my list?

A train – Adam’s reward for going without his dummy during the day for 10 days. It’s Percy from the Mega Blocks Rail Road and also has a piece of track.

Wine glasses – Simon keeps breaking ours. It’s either a ploy to get out of doing the washing up (which isn’t going to work) or we had very fragile glasses. The new ones have titanium in them. No joke. They are also huge.

I did not get a sauce pan (because I forgot to put on the list what size I wanted) an ice cream maker (we aren’t exactly sure we want one) or modelling glue (the girl at the shop said the stuff we already had should fix the broken Lightening McQueen).

Also?

A haircut:

My haircut

I’ll be 44 in just about two weeks. I think the grey suits me.

Everyone Else Seems To Be Getting Snow

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This is Belfast today:

1100: raining so hard I start to dread the school walk.

1130: leave the house to blue skies

1215: comment to fellow parent waiting for playgroup door to open that it was suddenly a lovely day, if cold.

1220: skies open. The aforementioned blue sky is now grey from horizon to horizon in all directions.

1245: Sunny.

1315: Bucketing.

1345: fair

1440: aka right now? Bright sun and blue sky.

It’s a good thing I love Belfast.

Proving One More Time Why I Will Never Be A Citizen

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Of the UK…

So yesterday PM David Cameron was on Letterman, who hit him with a few choice questions about British history, most of which do actually appear on the Life in Britain test as required to become a UK citizen or, apparently these days, get the Visa I have.

Cameron failed spectacularly.

As does my husband.

As would I.

And therefore I will never ever be a citizen of the UK. A citizen test that not even citizens can pass? Is not a citizen test.

Luckily I got my Visa before they required the test otherwise I would have, obviously, sucked it up and taken it.

But until they tell me the UK and US is at war and they are revoking all Visas?

I’ll stay as a Legal Residence Alien.

Thanks.

 

Obesity Epidemic?

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Before I start this, let me just state; I am fat. I am, in fact, borderline obese. I have been for a good portion of my life, off and on. I am currently watching what I eat and trying to lose weight.

That being said…

As part of my bid to lose weight and get more exercise, I try to walk home from Adam’s nursery drop off at least twice a week. My walk takes me along the Malone Road and I often pass mobs of school aged children waiting for the bus to take them to their various institutions.

And I see maybe 1 or 2 obese children out of 10 or 20.

Adam’s nursery class is another place I don’t see it. I wouldn’t call a single child in his class fat, never mind obese. Chubby, sure, but they are at that age where they are still losing their baby fat.

Adam himself still has a bit of a belly and slightly chunky thighs, but no one would ever call my son obese. Or even fat, really. He’s wearing T-3 and T-4 not because of his waist or belly but because of the length of his arms and legs. All of his trousers, for example, are cinched in as tight as possible at the waist and on occasion they still slide down! But at least he isn’t wearing floods! 🙂

So where’s the epidemic?

Even as I walk around City Centre I can’t say I’m seeing millions and millions of obese people. Just a mix, as I always have, no matter where I’ve lived.

So, is it just me? Is it just Belfast?

Or is the obesity epidemic made up?

The Strike Tomorrow…

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So tomorrow most of the UK will be on strike, including my husband. Usual reasons, pension contributions increase, less pay out at the end, retirement age being risen. The 1% not getting how the rest of the world lives. What’s pretty much going on worldwide at the moment as the haves once again punish the rest of us.

But how do I feel about it? Unhappy. For one thing, we can’t get Adam to daycare due to the Belfast Metro joining the strike without paying about an equal amount in taxi fares as we do for a day there. But we still have to pay daycare for the day. So there’s a day’s fees wasted.

For another, it’s nearly Christmas. What I really need is for Simon to lose a day’s pay.

Thirdly, *I’m* not on strike and I have meetings at my largest client’s tomorrow. Which means taxi fees. Yes, they go on my company’s accounts but it’s still cash gone from our accounts, again, right before Christmas.

Finally, I don’t think one day strikes do much. I just don’t. Yes, it’s a pain for all of us for one day. But a person can handle anything, if it’s only for a day.

We’re handling it by Simon and Adam having a fun day together and me going off in a taxi to my meetings.

But I am not happy about it. And really wish the haves would figure out what they are doing to the rest of the world.

Before this revolution gets very very bloody.