The NE Man uses my brain as a parallel processing unit to store trivia, leaving his own brain uncluttered and free to focus on Big Thoughts. All matters pertaining to the Royal Family are stored as trivia in my brain.
Thus his confusion, having listened to the news on the radio on his drive home. Why is it headline news that a model has touched up her photos? Jordan, who changed her name to Kate Middleton?
What really gets me about this is that the British Royalty (as an institution) has essentially one job, to maintain a public relations façade. If that requires promoting altered photos (we will assume arguendo that this was "necessary" according to whatever criteria institutional Royalty applies to such matters), it seems like a major failure that they can't even do that competently. Why not bring in a professional who could make the alterations undetectable? Or, better yet, have someone on permanent staff who could do so? Delegating (presumably) important tasks to people who know what they're doing would seem like the most basic thing in this kind of situation, and yet that apparently didn't happen.
Given the choice, I think I prefer "Guide and protect our rulers". There are some presidents upon whom I'm not sure I want to invoke the Lord's blessing ...
Given the choice, I think I prefer "Guide and protect our rulers". There are some presidents upon whom I'm not sure I want to invoke the Lord's blessing ...
We US Episcopalians sing "O Lord, save the State" during evensong, which sounds a bit Soviet to me 😈 Still though, the State needs our prayers these days!!
I still haven't got used to "the Queen" now referring to Camilla, or "the Duke of Edinburgh" being Edward. Or for that matter, "Prince and Princess of Wales." It'll probably take me a while to catch up; I found myself referring to "Prince Charles" earlier this week.
I believe that the Duke of Edinburgh feels the same way about his title.
When I was in Venice in 2006, the CofE church used the BCP as the normal congregation/visitor age profile would all know it. As there was no ECUSA presence within the city, that included Americans, so the Holy Commmunion prayers were for Her Majesty the Queen, Georgio President of Italy and George President of the United States.
TICTH ancient spreadsheets with finicky VBA that won't read in perfectly good hyperlinks.
TICTH fake news AND people rejoicing over deaths. I was on Twitter just now and King Charles was trending. I got worried. Then I saw claims (WHICH WERE TOTALLY FALSE AS OF THIS WRITING, just to be clear) that he had passed, and I was like, "Oh no" (which is suprising since, while I am very much a fan of the monarchy--indeed, I would have been a Royalist during the US Revolution in 1776--I've never been deeply enamored of Charles himself, especially since his treatment of Diana) and felt shocked and sad. On top of that, there were people absolutely giddy (God have mercy) at the idea that he'd died on St. Patrick's Day. But then it turned out that, no, he hadn't died, and some people out there thought it would be fun to push fake news about that, so now in a world with ludicrous conspiracy theories, people just find it fun to add to that. Grrrrr!
(I particularly despise the whole "Someone I don't like has died. Yay! I'll make jokes about it and digitally dance on their grave!" mindset. There are some dictators, and very scary people and such, whom I would be glad to hear of their passing. for the sake of their victims, and in hope that the misery and dangers they caused would come to an end or improve, but that's different.)
Oh yes, I saw some rumour that the BBC would be changing their website to black where it's currently red. Seems like it was a twisted rumour about a proposed redesign.
A box of chocolates (Lent is over at Palm Sunday isn’t it?) with the descriptions of the contents on the base. So I removed the inner tray and reversed lid and base. I don’t even like most of them, but they were a Mothering Sunday gift, so needs must.
Today I am consigning to hell the supposedly automatic garage doors. We thought we'd upgrade the controller when the man came to service it. Big mistake the last year has been calling the man out, videoing the problem, problem not occurring when the man comes to fix it.
I have told husband to get the man to put the old controller back in and give us our money back. I'm fed up with technology that doesn't work. Daughter works shifts and having to phone her to tell her the door isn't working, or get up to let her in the house in the middle of the night is getting to be quite the royal pain in the proverbial. I know it's a first world problem!!
The last time that happened was a few years ago when some arse was cycling home on the wrong side of a major road, against the flow of traffic. Twice. The last time he crashed into my already bruised arm, and I thought for a while he'd fractured it, but no.
Quiet evening, and I'm settling down to a cup of tea when there's a knock on the door. Thinking it might be an elderly neighbour, I open it. No! It's a broadband sales rep! I explain to the rep he's the 9th to call since last August and I am getting visited every month plus getting their mailings in the post - "Yes, but April price rises" - and I'm not interested - "but do you think your ISP is good value" - after 25 happy years, yes - "you could pay less with us" - I don't want to pay less, I'm happy with the quality I have. "OK, I'll take you off our list." Everybody says that and they still knock on my door. "Oh, I see we've already taken you off our list." Obviously. And I expect I'll see you again, and again, but still no way I'll ever sign up with you.
In fact, I added cheerily, "after this I would never sign up with your company." We both laughed and he went on his merry way to bug more people who didn't want to sign up. This is clearly never going to stop.
Yes, I could pay less, but I'm not switching to something with annoying sales tactics, unreachable customer service and unknown quality of provision when I've got a perfectly good, very reliable ISP that I've known and trusted for 25 years.
But given that they've already taken me off their list and the posties don't read the Royal Mail sticker that says I won't take other people's parcels, I don't hold out much hope. It'll be "Hi, I know your notice says not to call but I thought I'd just call and ask if you still meant it..."
I'm calling to hell all those people who write negative comments in the 'right to reply' sections of local newspaper websites. We have a local byelection here in May and the local paper did a piece on two of the candidates. Some of the replies are beyond daft, and heading into nasty territory.
Indeed. I nowadays never read the comments section, being fed up with the evil xenophobic tripe spewed out therein - even about reports on such things as potholes!
There are some truly horrible people around, usually hiding under pseudonyms...but (they might retort) they're only saying what everyone's thinking, innit?
My instinctive reaction on opening the door has been to groan and say "Oh no, not Broadband Company again" but this doesn't seem to have been particularly well received so far.
One of the many privileges of our island fastness is the seemingly impenetrable barrier to cold callers, with the exception of an annual visit from the tinkers. Even the Watchtower Society just post things.
It’s a long way to travel just to get the door slammed in your face….Broken Hill’s a bit like that
About a dozen or so years ago, I had to stay a couple of nights in Broken Hill. On the advice of the motel owners, I left all the windows securely locked at all times, even the small bathroom windows which were placed high in the wall. Also had a very early dinner so that I'd be returning to the motel while staff were still on duty.
I've not been able to find out when the change occurred, but it felt very uncomfortable. I'd driven there a roundabout way from Bourke. None of that feeling at Bourke or at townships around there.
The drongoes in the current coalition government who want a $10 billion tunnel built to cut 15 minutes off travel from Wellington Airport north. These are the same certifiable lunatics who cancelled a new Inter-Island Ferry. The current ferry has had a couple of near misses and Cook Strait isn't the safest stretch of water in the world.
If I thought anywhere else would welcome a grumpy 70 year old woman into their country...
Or the school lunch programme they're planning to defund- maybe they could fund it with the the money they collect from fining parents whose children miss too many days at school.*
*research shows there are fewer kids absent if lunches are provided and hungry children don't learn as well.
Honestly, if I'd read about the tunnel earlier in the month I would have thought it was an April Fool's Day joke.
It sounds a bit like Boris Johnson's bonkers plan for an island airport in the Thames estuary, or his equally mad plan for a rail/road bridge linking Scotland with Northern Ireland (he forgot - or didn't know - that the railways of Ireland are laid to a wider gauge than ours).
NZ is not the only country to be ruled by drongoes. We've had them for the past 14 years, gods help us, whereas you did at least have Jacinda Ardern for a time (yes, I appreciate that her premiership was not 100% successful).
Yes. I guess NZ ought to be grateful that it hasn't had to suffer a Boris Johnson yet (I hope it never does, of course).
@Huia - you would be welcome here at any time, but alas! you would be running from the Fat into the Fire, given the sheer awfulness of this country at the moment.
There are school holidays here at the moment, but I thought after the holidays I could check out whether there are any schools setting up their own lunch programmes and see if the would welcome a helper.
TICTH itches resulting from bites from small invisible bitey things. Especially when said bites have been strategically positioned to cause maximum irritation.
I suppose mid-April is fair game - I was last bitten in February, but it a bit depressing to think the biting season has now started in earnest.
Comments
What really gets me about this is that the British Royalty (as an institution) has essentially one job, to maintain a public relations façade. If that requires promoting altered photos (we will assume arguendo that this was "necessary" according to whatever criteria institutional Royalty applies to such matters), it seems like a major failure that they can't even do that competently. Why not bring in a professional who could make the alterations undetectable? Or, better yet, have someone on permanent staff who could do so? Delegating (presumably) important tasks to people who know what they're doing would seem like the most basic thing in this kind of situation, and yet that apparently didn't happen.
We US Episcopalians sing "O Lord, save the State" during evensong, which sounds a bit Soviet to me 😈 Still though, the State needs our prayers these days!!
That's because it was only in the Scottish BCP under duress, which was only lifted in (if memory serves) the 1970s. Much the same as the 39 Articles.
I believe that the Duke of Edinburgh feels the same way about his title.
When I was in Venice in 2006, the CofE church used the BCP as the normal congregation/visitor age profile would all know it. As there was no ECUSA presence within the city, that included Americans, so the Holy Commmunion prayers were for Her Majesty the Queen, Georgio President of Italy and George President of the United States.
TICTH ancient spreadsheets with finicky VBA that won't read in perfectly good hyperlinks.
(I particularly despise the whole "Someone I don't like has died. Yay! I'll make jokes about it and digitally dance on their grave!" mindset. There are some dictators, and very scary people and such, whom I would be glad to hear of their passing. for the sake of their victims, and in hope that the misery and dangers they caused would come to an end or improve, but that's different.)
I have told husband to get the man to put the old controller back in and give us our money back. I'm fed up with technology that doesn't work. Daughter works shifts and having to phone her to tell her the door isn't working, or get up to let her in the house in the middle of the night is getting to be quite the royal pain in the proverbial. I know it's a first world problem!!
Even as a cyclist myself, that rates as high-grade twatwittery - I hope you are OK!
The last time that happened was a few years ago when some arse was cycling home on the wrong side of a major road, against the flow of traffic. Twice. The last time he crashed into my already bruised arm, and I thought for a while he'd fractured it, but no.
In fact, I added cheerily, "after this I would never sign up with your company." We both laughed and he went on his merry way to bug more people who didn't want to sign up. This is clearly never going to stop.
Yes, I could pay less, but I'm not switching to something with annoying sales tactics, unreachable customer service and unknown quality of provision when I've got a perfectly good, very reliable ISP that I've known and trusted for 25 years.
But given that they've already taken me off their list and the posties don't read the Royal Mail sticker that says I won't take other people's parcels, I don't hold out much hope. It'll be "Hi, I know your notice says not to call but I thought I'd just call and ask if you still meant it..."
There are some truly horrible people around, usually hiding under pseudonyms...but (they might retort) they're only saying what everyone's thinking, innit?
I do think that if usernames were ever banned and people were obliged to post under their own names, that sort of thing would drop dramatically.
No, no - it's the Travellers, illegally wearing out Our Roads, given to us for Our use by His Majesty the King (God bless him).
"My heart tells me you are not in the Book of Life! Let me tell you here and now how you can be saved, you miserable sinner!"
Meanwhile I await visit no. 10 in May...
About a dozen or so years ago, I had to stay a couple of nights in Broken Hill. On the advice of the motel owners, I left all the windows securely locked at all times, even the small bathroom windows which were placed high in the wall. Also had a very early dinner so that I'd be returning to the motel while staff were still on duty.
If I thought anywhere else would welcome a grumpy 70 year old woman into their country...
*research shows there are fewer kids absent if lunches are provided and hungry children don't learn as well.
Honestly, if I'd read about the tunnel earlier in the month I would have thought it was an April Fool's Day joke.
NZ is not the only country to be ruled by drongoes. We've had them for the past 14 years, gods help us, whereas you did at least have Jacinda Ardern for a time (yes, I appreciate that her premiership was not 100% successful).
For some reason that reminded me of BoJo getting stuck on that zip wire, brandishing Union Jack flags. That seems to sum it all up.
@Huia - you would be welcome here at any time, but alas! you would be running from the Fat into the Fire, given the sheer awfulness of this country at the moment.
I suppose mid-April is fair game - I was last bitten in February, but it a bit depressing to think the biting season has now started in earnest.