1 October 2013

Bands won't play no more, too much fighting on the dance floor

Is it true Mars Rover is on strike?

Seems to be the day for it (although I can't pretend to understand the ins and outs of the American shut down.) I do understand teachers here though. I still can't believe how many people seem to moan about teachers. I mean, long holidays seems to be all they focus on. Never mind having to deal with 35 of the little....darlings on your own. Plus it's another scenario where people moan about someone in another profession 'having it easy' - if it's that bloody easy why don't they go and sign up for it?? Understand the fire service, too.

Anyway, got that out of my system. Maybe ;)

Having a rant because I've just been dealing with press queries forwarded to me ... honestly, I am all for people knowing what we do, how we do it (to a certain extent) and an open and honest relationship with the public we serve. But certain members of the press ask such leading questions, with such obvious motivation. Still...all part of the job.


Had a lovely day today, once we managed to persuade Sherlock he really was off to school. John and I had a very peaceful day. Bit of a run on the bikes (yes, bad us, we took Sherlock to school on the bikes so we could carry on out - and it's international Walk to School Month! Ooops...) Anyway, yeah, then back home, did some chores, then John...persuaded me to go to sleep. So I got a few hours kip ;)

We went to the park after school, also good. And nice to get to chat to other parents/carers too.

Apparently 1 in five Brits have tattoos now. (Good for us - we like lots of identifying marks!). I can't ever imagine anything I'd want for the rest of my life. What made me laugh was that people who get them 'have a stronger desire to be seen as 'unique' - but loads of people get the same tattoos! You're 'more' unique (sorry, sorry, Mycroft, I know you can't be 'more' unique...) when you don't have them, then, surely!

Right, have I rambled on enough?

Danger...now I've volunteered, when is Sherlock's swimming lesson?

34 comments:

John H. D. Watson said...

Thursday afternoon, I think.

It's probably national motorcycle month somewhere…

Greg Lestrade said...

True!

The fingers I hurt in the door still hurt. Only if I touch them or make a fist, but they look fine. Did I do something worse than bruise them? (Yes, using your psychic doctoring skills here. Or angling for an FME visit ;) )

Piplover said...

I'm glad you all had a good day. I hope tomorrow is just as relaxing as you would like it to be.

I always get annoyed when people say teachers have it easy. My mom and her roommate are teachers, and they spend more time at school after hours than I think any other profession would allow. And it's unpaid time, too. I can remember growing up how my mom would be up at the school until it was after my bedtime, getting plans and stuff ready. And a lot of the supplies for the classrooms come from their own pockets, without reimbursement.

As for the holidays, I don't think people understand that teachers get paid, yes, but it's fixed. They get so much for the year, and it's divided throughout the year.

Sorry, touchy subject for me.

Have a good night, gentlemen!

John H. D. Watson said...

L - not my shift, sorry :P Do they hurt a lot? I'll look at them again in the morning.

Greg Lestrade said...

not unless I knock them, or pick up something heavy, or try to make a fist (which admittedly I'm only doing to see if it hurts...) they look fine. Maybe slightly...bumpy...like, under the skin.

Anyway, I shall stop making a fist ;)

Sherlock asleep? Clutching his book?

John H. D. Watson said...

Yes to both. Drooling on it slightly when I checked on him. I didn't dare try to remove it.

Greg Lestrade said...

not surprised! You'd have to be a top notch peterman or pickpocket to get away with that, I reckon.

Just got a call. You going to be up for a while?

John H. D. Watson said...

Yeah, probably. Call me when you get a chance?

REReader said...

Pip, ditto. My mom teaches 1st grade, and everything you say I also know is true by seeing it. (And when do they ever vacation during vacation? My mom attends teaching seminars and prepares for the following year every summer, I'm sure most teachers do!)

John, that is a very sweet mental image to carry with me!

I hope your fingers are okay, L. I smashed my fingers in a door a number of years ago and it turned out I'd cracked two of them--but all the doctor did was tape them together for a few weeks. Did the trick, anyway!

Greg Lestrade said...

I'll call soon. No one's dead, which is always a plus. Hopefully it'll stay that way. The paramedics thought the guy would probably be okay.

RR - yeah, didn't think these needed taping. I'm sure they'll be better soon.

Greg Lestrade said...

Going to be stuck in interviews for quite a while, Danger. See you in the morning. Love you.

John H. D. Watson said...

I love you too. Good luck.

Kestrel337 said...

Am I going to regret googling the term 'peterman'?

Piplover said...

You know the rule, Kestrel337. If Lestrade says it...

Small Hobbit said...

I think on this occasion you should be fairly safe Kestrel.

I agree that teachers work hard. What used to annoy me was the double standards of the school: if my child missed a day of schooling it would seriously affect their education, but it was okay if their teacher wasn't present for whatever reason.

Greg Lestrade said...

Sherlock was very grumpy that I wasn't home in time to be read to this morning...

SH - but someone would've been there to teach your child, yeah? Even if not the usual teacher. I mean, I think 'seriously' is silly for them to say. Obviously the odd day here and there isn't going to harm them.

i'm going back to bed.

Sherlock said...

They found SKULLS where they're digging the new railway and they come from a lost river and they're Roman and Mrs N said maybe someone would come and tell us about skulls and bones and I said you knew about them and I hope someone can.

Anon Without A Name said...

I get grumpy when people try to argue that public sector workers shouldn't have the right to go on strike (I've seen people saying that teachers shouldn't be allowed to do so). If you value their work and contribution so highly, why aren't you willing to employ enough of them, pay them a decent wage, honour their contracts, and let them get on with the job their trained to do?

*climbs down off soapbox*

Anyway, enjoy your... well, I was going to say ""sleep, but perhaps "time in bed" might be more accurate :-p

PS - my tattoos are unique :-)

rsf said...

Skulls sound interesting. Which river was lost? I know that a lot of London's rivers are pretty much underground now, but I only know a few of the names.

Nameless, in theory public unions are able to get arbitration instead of strikes. Which works until the legislature takes away your right to have arbitration on things like, oh, healthcare... Yeah, I've got splinters from my soapbox too. I'm watching what's happening in Detroit, and wondering if my pension is going to exist in a few years.

Small Hobbit said...

Nameless - I have no problem with the right of teachers to strike. L - there was a teacher present to sit with the pupils whilst they got on with work prepared in advance, but couldn't answer their questions, so not technically teaching them. That was the week when it happened for at least one lesson every day. Then, when she took the last three days of the summer term off to go with her Explorer Scout Unit to an international jamboree in Serbia, we had a letter stressing how much education she would miss. She learnt far more at the jamboree - education not just being book learning.

Anonymous said...

The absence thing is the government I'm afraid, we used to be able to authorise absences for things like that with an undeniably educational value, now we're not allowed to, we're forced to put them down as unauthorised, bad on our figures, bad on the kids.

Lancs. Anon

Piplover said...

SH, a lot of education now has become politicized and arbitrated. My mom used to be able to give a bag of apples to students who literally had no food at home. They pretty much lived off those and the free lunches at school. Now she can't do that or she could lose her job. It's such BS, and no one wins.

Sherlock, that sounds really exciting! Do you think an anthropologist will be able to come into your class to talk to you about what they've found?

Anon Without A Name said...

SH - My comment wasn't aimed at you at all, sorry if it came across as if it was :-( It was aimed at random types I've stumbled across in recent and not-so-recent times who think that public sector workers should just be grateful they have jobs. One chap I saw said that firefighters who go on strike "have blood on their hands". Makes me see red. Definitely not aimed at you though :-)

Small Hobbit said...

Nameless - I didn't think you were aiming it at me. I just wanted to make it clear since I had a gripe with school authorities, not with teachers as such.

Anon Without A Name said...

SH - ah, fair enough :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

I was sleeping! Didn't get home until after John and Sherlock had gone to school because we had coordinated raids this morning (good results too). Not my favourite thing to do at the end of a night.

Who asked about my ring? Can't find the comment. Anyway. I just fiddle with it a lot. So to speak...

Greg Lestrade said...

A peterman is an old word for a safe-cracker. I just meant John would need a lot of skill to remove a book from a sleeping Sherlock.

Sherlock said...

It's a river called the Walbrook and there were pots too as well as skulls and I don't know who might come to our class but I hope they bring real skulls and Mrs N said it would be good for our history project about London.

REReader said...

How exciting, Sherlock! Maybe the archaelogical team working on the project would be able to send someone. Even if not, I'm sure whoever Mrs N gets will know lots about it.

(I looked up the dig online and they are finding some very interesting things, indeed!)

Kestrel337 said...

Thanks for the explanation. I love learning new (old) slang terms. Geeky me.

Sherlock, that sounds like an awesome history project, and what an amazing and exciting thing to find!

pandabob said...

That dig sounds really interesting Sherlock I hope Mrs N can arrange for you all to find out LOTS more about it :-)

Good luck with work Greg :-)

I hope you have a nice evening John :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

Thanks.

Sherlock trailed around after me as I got ready, wearing all his gear and helmet, to prove he was ready and willing to join me on nightshift...

Good luck with that, John :)

John H. D. Watson said...

It's really a pity you can't trade energy levels with him. You'd have no problem staying up.

Unknown said...

this morning while working in my studio, I was listening to the radio, and there was this author interview that made me think of you folks.
http://wamc.org/post/three-can-keep-secret-archer-mayor
The author works as a police officer, AND a medical examiner, and of course he writes. Fiction, and naturally can't use actual cases in stories, but his extensive knowledge does come in handy in the writing. I was thinking I might see if the library had any of his books, it sounds like this is one of a series.
S

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