Mixed bag

There are times when I really want to write something. Anything. But inspiration won't strike and whatever pops in to my head is just too mundane (which is what Twitter is for...). Now is just one of those times. I'm sitting here at my computer, fingers poised over the keys, just willing a fascinating subject to emerge from the dusty, cobwebby corners of my mind. Nuffink! So, you will have to indulge me while I waffle aimlessly about one or two things that passed through my brain in lieu of a fascinating post...

Musical reunion
Every now and then it's great to hear a song that you haven't heard for years. A song that you always liked but had completely forgotten about. Last week, for me, it was The Devil Went Down To Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band. How could you not love it? It's possibly been at least a decade since I last heard it, but it was on the radio as I drove to work last week and I knew that I'd have to download it as soon as I could. I've now listend to it over and over. I'm listening to it right now. It makes me want to take up the violin again (in fact, if playing the violin at school had been anything like that, I'd never have given it up!). For some reason it led me to listen to Ode To Billy Joe by Bobby Gentry. I'm a whisker away from Islands In The Stream and Blanket On The Ground. Just one C&W evening can't hurt, can it? I can give it up anytime...

Working gURL
I've bought my .co.uk web address. jcmoore. Don't bother looking - I haven't done anything with it yet. I've been pondering doing something freelance-ish. Word processing, Powerpoint and whatnot. But I've no idea where to start. I need to dedicate some proper thinking time to the idea. I still really want to make a go of the jewellery business, but something keeps stopping me, whether it's my lack of sales/marketing confidence, or doubts about some aspects of the quality of what I'm making. Unfortunately, the pleasure of the 'hobby' has diminished somewhat because I'm feeling that I ought to be making a go of the business side. I need to get over that, and recapture the enjoyment that made me so excited about the whole thing in the first place. As a first step, I'm going to have a fun 'making' day tomorrow...

Speaking of making
I've got some lovely knitting on the go. A few weeks ago, the most important thing in the world to me was to get a blanket for my bed. I've done away with my duvet and have gone all retro with sheets and blankets. Except I don't have any blankets. I only have synthetic fleeces, which aren't warm enough on chilly nights. I looked in shops for old-fashioned wool blankets, but I couldn't find any - only designer 'throws' and suchlike. Of course, the internet has blankets, but they cost a fortune. So I got out my big needles and bought some super chunky wool and if I try very hard I may have a warm snuggly blanket for my bed at about the time the Winter Olympics are held in Russia...

Essay, essay, essay
I've nearly finished my OU Psychology Openings course. I've just got my final essay to write. It's been OK. It also confirmed my suspicion that studying is not really my bag and anything more intensive than an Openings course won't suit me at all. I've been able to completely neglect it for weeks and then catch up with an hour's reading. (In fact, someone asked me about it the other day, and I actually forgot I was doing it!) I know I won't be able to do that with a 'proper' course, and I also know that I will neglect it. This has been just right for me and I may well do another - I'm thinking maths - but the student life is definitely not for me.

Pillow talk
I was going to tell you all about my wonderful new pillows. But I can't bring myself to. Next thing I'll be blogging my shopping list! Suffice to say, they're amazingly gorgeous, considering they don't contain one single feather. In fact, they're so gorgeous that writing this is making me want to go to bed. It's probably making you want to go to bed too, so I'll detain you no further and let you go about your business, whatever it might be...

If only everyone were as perfect as me (and with a little help they could be)...

Dear lady in the car behind me this morning,

When driving along a narrow road lined with parked cars, and coming across a skip lorry and a school bus trying to come the other way, it is not advisable to overtake the patient person letting them through (i.e. me) and blocking the road. They're considerably bigger and less maneuverable than you and you really have nothing to gain by getting in their way. Where exactly did you think they were going to go?

Just some friendly advice for the future...

Yours helpfully,
Jo

-oOo-

Dear sales assistant in Guildford PC World who tried to help me this morning,

It was my pleasure to show you a product on the internet that you didn't know you sell. You were probably a bit hungry or something, as it was nearly lunchtime, so I'll forgive you for telling me I didn't know what I was talking about (though you did it quite politely) and failing to apologise when I proved that I did.

Yours teeth-grindingly,
Jo

-oOo-

Dear customers on neighbouring table in Frankie & Benny's at lunchtime today,

It was Bobby Vee singing 'Take Good Care of My Baby", and not The Eversley (sic) Brothers.

Yours helpfully (and admittedly slightly patronisingly),
Jo

-oOo-

Dear sales assistant in Weybridge PC World who tried to help me this afternoon,

Next time someone asks you the difference between two apparently similar, but considerably differently priced products, just reading numbers off the boxes isn't helpful. When asked the difference between a speed of 1600 and 2100, "This one is 500 faster than that one" is not a particularly informative answer.

Yours none-the-wiserly,
Jo

-oOo-

Dear all sales assistants everywhere,

If you don't know something, please just admit it. Say you don't know and go and find someone who does. Honestly, trying to bluff your way through by reading what's printed on the box is not good customer service. Just so you know...

Yours surely-not-expecting-too-muchly,
Jo

-oOo-

Dear chemist,

It's lucky I was only getting gloopy cream for my skin today when you gave me the wrong thing for my prescription, rather than important drugs or something. It's also lucky I noticed.

Yours luckily,
Jo

-oOo-

Dear car washing men in Tesco's car park,

No, I don't want my car cleaned, thank you.

Yours repetitively,
Jo

-oOo-

Dear person on the phone this afternoon,

Using the words 'government legislation' 4 times in your opening spiel does not fool me for one minute into thinking you're not just trying to sell me something.

Yours exasperatedly,
Jo