iblog » Stephanie

Bus Blues

Stephanie — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 23:52:13 +0000

Public transport has its drawbacks. I used to lament the often ridiculous prices (how are we expected to ‘go green’ when the bus fares are extortionate, the services unreliable and the ride uncomfortable?) However, these complaints have been downgraded to a bearable inconvenience in comparison to my latest pet-hate. I am of course referring to the recent epidemic of mobile-phone-stereos, which play incessantly on each and every commute. The tinny sound of music played too loud through inadequate speakers is coupled with the dire quality of the music, which for some unknown reason always features a high pitched chipmunk-esque voice squeaking to a reptitive and irritating beat. There’s no cure for this rapidly spreading disease of inconsiderate passengers I’m sure, but perhaps I might release some pent up bus-rage, and breathe easier when it happens again tomorrow.

Asbo Kids Getting Younger

Stephanie — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:33:01 +0000

I read an article today in which a mother described her 10 year old son (the youngest in the country to be given an Asbo) as ‘like any other kid.’ Asbo aside, I had to disagree when it turned out this ‘kid’ had been given the debatable ‘badge of honour’ for a catalogue of incidents including threatening children with knives, assaulting his family, smoking cannabis, drinking stolen beer, smashing cars and burgling homes. Now, I’m not one for dictionary definitions, but last I checked this was hardly considered ‘normal’ behaviour for a ten year old boy. Moreover his Gran (interviewed outside court) explained how her grandson had turned his life around, and now “just enjoys the odd cigarette”. Ten years old?! The mind boggles.

Is this the last of Top Gear?

Stephanie — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:48:35 +0000

Jeremy Clarkson claimed yesterday that the hugely popular Top Gear (quite possibly the greatest programme on the planet in my humble opinion) would not return for a new series. But the BBC insist that the show would be back. Who are we to believe? I’d like to put my faith in the BBC, if only because I daren’t contemplate a life without Top Gear – where you’re as likely to see Clarkson, Hammond and James attempt to convert a mini into a motorboat as you are to see reviews of the latest motors. I’ve always maintained that these three presenters have the best job on television – how could they want to throw that away?

Supplements Boost Brain Development

Stephanie — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:36:21 +0000

It’s been all over the news today that a food supplement vastly improved the development of three children’s brains in just three months. One of the boys who took part in the study was reported to be ‘bored’ with the TV programmes he’d previously been hooked on, preferring to read a book instead. Sounds too good to be true to me! But scientists say that the supplement VegEPA, which contains omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, had a remarkable effect on the children. I only want to know one thing. Where can I get some?! Who knows, in three months I could be the next Einstein…

Baby Shopping Once Again?

Stephanie — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 23:18:32 +0000

Angelina Jolie is adding to her rapidly expanding family with yet another adopted child, this time from Vietnam. Now I’m not exactly sure where I stand on this Hollywood adopt-a-child craze, I can see the benefits for the child on the one hand, but I can’t help wondering whether the entire trend is just that – a passing fad or fashion. It would seem that the old-fashioned idea of mothering your own offspring is about as fashionable as maintaining your original nose in LA. With her first adopted child being from Cambodia, the second from Ethiopia and the prospective third from Vietnam, I wonder how long it will take bets to open on the home-country of the next Jolie-Pitt adoption scheme…

Is your house a dump?

Stephanie — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 23:05:37 +0000

Channel Four will unveil a new programme this Spring in which ten contestants must survive for three weeks on a rubbish tip. I think I speak for many of us when I utter a slightly squeamish “ew!” All food, drink and shelter must be found amongst the waste which will be ‘home sweet home’ to the ten (un)lucky participants. Does reality tv have no limits? What on earth is next for this irritatingly-addictive genre of time-wasting-tv?

Lunar dates for your diary…

Stephanie — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:42:50 +0000

Why is it that you only hear about an event when it’s too late? The lunar eclipse of Saturday 3rd March passed me by completely, and now I’ll have to wait until 2008 for the next full lunar exlipse. To add insult to injury, while last weeks eclipse took place at the very reasonable time of 8pm onwards, the same event in 2008 will take place between 3 and 4am!! Something tells me I may be missing out on that one too…

Employers use network sites to spy on prospective employees

Stephanie — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:30:18 +0000

So many people (myself included) spend hours of guilty voyeuristic pleasure on networking sites such as myspace and facebook. It’s a small wonder then, that potential employers have begun to exploit these resources as a means of really getting to know their prospective employees… So, you might want to reconsider truly baring all on your myspace pages – tone down your drunken antics perhaps? Slip in a few lines about your fantastic work ethic and punctuality? Ok, perhaps a little obvious – but it’s something worth considering at your next interview. You never know who’s watching…

Queen and Country

Stephanie — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:18:25 +0000

In the first year of World War I more than one million men chose to join the fighting in Europe. I struggle to comprehend the horrors they faced or the terrible ways in which so many men died. But I find it even more impossible to imagine that a similar patriotism would prevail today in the face of a similar crisis. I can’t imagine many boys being compelled to lie about their age in order to defend our country, as was common in both World Wars. On the contrary I can’t help but envision a sudden rise in debilitating illnesses. “Me? Go to war? Oh no I’m sorry, much as I’d love to, I’m a chronic asthmatic. As of. Now.” Am I simply too cynical? Perhaps. But what would you say, if Queen and country came knocking? Would you rally to the flag? Or would you dive behind the sofa and pretend you’re not in?

Landlords – A Phantom Menace

Stephanie — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:22:52 +0000

Student housing isn’t meant to be luxurious. It’s not unusual for heating to be temperamental if at all functional, and it just wouldn’t be ‘home’ without that rather suspicious looking growth on the bathroom ceiling. Cling film on windows, crumbling plaster, rattling windows and bathrooms with an entire eco-system of their own are the building blocks of student living – but where do we draw the line? In the two years I spent renting at University I never laid eyes on the landlord. What little contact I had with him revolved around a broken shower, an unhealthily mouldy ceiling, and a boiler held together by rust. Now by my reckoning, three problems in two years isn’t bad going for any landlord, but in each case by the time aid arrived I could’ve sooner imported new fittings from Mars.

Slowly, however, my attitude toward the shocking living arrangements began to alter slightly. With each new patch of damp, with every whistling breeze and every inch of peeling wallpaper I began to cultivate a sense of smug satisfaction. Sooner or later the lazy landlord will realise that what might have been a quick fix in the early stages now amounts to a fortune in renovation costs just to keep the building from crumbling around him. It is a very small sort of triumph, but when you’re sitting at your desk wrapped in blankets, having not showered for a week and with a worrying drip coming from somewhere in the roof – it’s all you can cling to.