Busses and speeders.

Arriva. That name strikes fear into the hearts of the bravest travellers. For my non-English viewers that's the company that controls our bus service.
Lately they have been moving the routs around. Taking the 33 away from my home. A bit of a pain as that means I have to walk to, well, everywhere or wait 30mins for the secondary bus. Now here's the thing. I came out of work today, my feet killing me, the sun blazing, and the next 481 is in ten minutes. Not bad. It gives us time to catch up with a friend. So we waited... And waited... ten minutes... twenty... All the time the pain in my feet getting worse .... thirty minutes. So one bus is missing.
I wish this was rare but it happens all the time. When the blasted thing finally turns up it's packed. So much that children are standing up, hardly able to hold on, just because arriva (they don't deserve capitalisation) can't get their damn act together!
I've even been brought to the point where I wanted to complain. Guess what? Their web site's down ¬_¬

Next speeders. My road has little concrete islands to stop people speeding, though all it does is make people crash. It doesn't work. The times I've nearly been run over is ridiculous. And did I mention that this road is right outside a primary school? No? Well yes. These fuckers are making the decision to speed through a school zone where many little kids are walking.
I feel like standing outside with a sign with "Speeding? Well done, you've made your first step to becoming a child murderer."

Cakes and class (An argument for polite dining)

Today I had a fresh strawberry tart with cream. So naughty I know, but something struck me. The girls at the till had apologised for being new. It was fine of course, no need to apologise at all, but it was so nice that they even thought of being that polite. Most places they would have just given you that smarmy little smile and made you wait while they played around with the till.

I find that when I go out to eat the food tastes better when the staff have been polite and attentive. In fact I can forgive a lot if the people are polite. Example, a child ran into me while I was at the supermarket last night (no one was hurt as the poor lad was literally half my size). Usually I would have been seriously bothered that the parents were not controlling the child, but the lad looked so frightened and actually said sorry. And there it was, all anger gone because of two honestly given words.

I like to dine in what many would consider upper class places if I do go out for the simple reason that the staff and patrons are a lot more polite. I'm not talking about these ridiculously expensive places that serve everything in a thimble and look down on you whoever you may be. I hate those sorts of places.
These are establishments that actually consider manners needed. I don't mean saying please every three seconds but just the common courtesy that everyone deserves. It's a matter of respect.

But I suppose respect is lacking in modern society. That's why the crime rates are up, the chav nation was born, you can't go out at night without the fear of being hurt. It's all a matter of respect. No one really respects their elders or authority. No one respects each other. I look around and there's such a negative feeling.

Right now it's raining. There's no one out and it's my favourite time. The air is fresh as pollution lowers, the chavs stay at home and you can walk outside with little fear. Apparently the fear of a little water replaces respect in my life.

What is respect to you personally and can you live without it? 

BP=/= Britain

So these news and business lot seem to assume that just because BP has the word 'British' in it that it must stand for Britain itself. Last time I checked I didn't live in an oil company.

These business types are getting their panties in a twist because Obama is planning to punish whoever fucked up. And so he bloody should. It's not anti-British, it's anti-corporate. Oh, sorry. I forgot that all these whining bastards think business=life. This company has caused an environmental disaster, possibly because they cut corners to save money. Fact- There was no need to save money. Fact- The clean up will take years. Fact- many businesses that rely on the water will never recover. Fact- People have DIED. I refuse to defend any company (you see there, company NOT country) that allows that to happen. They have a responsibility and they failed, if it was a true accident that couldn't be helped then they pay for the clean-up and fine, if it was caused by negligence then they should be locked up!

It shows how corporate minded this world has become when people are defending the evil soulless oil companies. Where are the hippy's, the young environmentalists, the enraged sympathisers? Well at least one of them's in charge for once. A president that doesn't kiss oil company ass.
Refreshing isn't it?

Sorry this is a short one, I just had to get it out of my system. I may compensate you with a full blog later. Maybe . 

Intelligence and the apparent surplus of 'new ideas'

I'm in a very good mood today (can't tell you why, that's personal) but I very much am. But that cannot stop this little life commentary I've got going.

So onto modern intelligence. An experiment: go into your local town and look at all the people working around you. Think about where they could come from, where they went to school, what their IQ is. I bet I can guess your answer.

I've been looking for work for a while now and just can't seem to get a job. I guess I'd better tell you my qualifications. I have a full set of GCSE's, A-C grades. An AS level and 3 A levels. And I was a member of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY), a group of the top 5% of the country's youth. Look it up.
My problem? I didn't work right out of school, so I don't have the experience that a lot of the secondary school drop-outs do. With Britain still in a recession employers want people who they don't have to train or pay that much, I do not fall into this group. Maybe the market is flooded with intelligent, confident, people with new ideas... But I doubt it.

It turns out that intelligence isn't valued any more. The smart kids are ignored, left to entertain themselves while the not so talented kids (or the lazy ones) get teachers bending over backwards for them. Employers don't want to change or take on new ideas because they're worried about possibly losing their business. Any job that does take intelligence isn't hiring as the government are cutting their funding left, right, and centre.

It's no wonder teenagers are happy to stay uneducated. Apparently they have better prospects.

I'd blame drugs, TV, gangs or the tellytubbies but it's not any of that. It's fear. The fear of failure on every front. You can't fail if you never try. They're never taught that not failing does not equal success. Yes, you have to work for it, but it's worth it.

I wish my belief in that wasn't faltering so heavily. I wish I could just get that one break, that one piece of art, that one novel, that one chance to really change things but that doesn't look likely to happen any time soon.

Have you ever had trouble finding work due to being mentally "overqualified"?

 

Prudishness Vs modesty in the modern world.

Lets start, this one probably wont end up being PG like my last set of blogs so turn back now if you're feeling sensitive. I'm serious...

So, sex. We see it everywhere nowadays. We see it in soaps that are shown in the middle of the day, adverts that are shown before school hours, even in the news. Is it prudish for me not to want to see this sort of thing at those times? I don't think so. I could ramble on about thinking of the children and their innocent minds, but let's face it, most seven year olds know what sex is. This is not my problem though. Personally I do not feel comfortable seeing two people being passionate before I've even had my breakfast.

Does that make me prudish? Or has our world become so sexualised that we're all fine with that sort of thing being shown. I have no problem what you do in your own home, or business, but I do not want this sort of thing shoved in my face.

Where does it end? I'm one of those people that has a kinky side (worry not I never plan to go into detail) and I see it as normal. But I definitely wouldn't want it shown on prime time TV, in a way that is either positive or negative.  I'd love it if BDSM wasn't so demonised in the media as I've seen many loving D/S relationships. But I don't want it to be used as marketing.

This isn't just the media though. This is the way we talk and the way we dress. From facebook groups that are a little too explicit for a site that lets thirteen year olds on to those tiny little skirts you see said thirteen year olds in. It's not nice to see. The problem is that it's not entirely these kids fault. Have you tried to shop for a top that doesn't have a neckline down to your belly button, or a skirt that goes down to your knees, that isn't intended to hug you so tight you can see the detail of your behind? It's almost impossible. Ten years ago designers marketing this sort of things to kids would have been locked up.

So is my opinion prudish? Is holding on to the last few threads of modesty prudish? Or should I just say forget it and just go out in fet' gear?

I think I'll keep to my blouses and skirts.