Today I've mostly bin...

[dramaticat]

One secret I found for giving an instant impression of tidiness is to have a spare space downstairs (e.g. an area in a back room) where junk can be hastily cleared away when visitors turn up.

Yes, I have one of those. It works a treat - until you can't get into the room and start piling the junk up in another room upstairs ...

I occasionally have big clear-outs (which are quite therapeutic), but how do you work out when you don't need something any more? it doesn't help that I don't like throwing things away if they still work/have lots of wear in them etc. but there's only one jumble sale a year in the village!

[giraffe]

We get a lot of charity sacks through the door and I fill those, but they tend to come three in a week and then months before you see another one.

I tend not to throw clothes out until they are pretty much just rags, and then I feel guilty about sending them to someone else, but the local charity shop say they will take any clothes, even odd socks because if they can't sell them in the shop they give them to someone who pays so much a ton for them.

[dramaticat]

I suppose the problem with charity shops is we're too lazy to spend our spare time driving to one (and when you get there, you can't park anywhere near, or you can only go on the days when they won't accept donations - no, who am I kidding? It's just plain laziness!)

I don't use the sacks that come through the door because I can't work out which ones are genuine and which are scams.
We do use the clothes recycling bins at our local tip, which is quite close.

[giraffe]

I've had a sack through this morning, but it's not a charity I've heard of, so I won't be using that. I often have two come on the same day, and one van follows the other round when they come to pick up. There is only one local charity shop that I know how to park close enough to. I reverse up the back alley, and then knock on their back door. They've never turned me away, but it is a bit of a hassle. I have been known to load the sack, and a couple of bin bags and then miss the van because I forgot to put the bag out, but a couple of times I have run down the road and managed to flag them down as they come out of the next cul de sac. (I don't mind looking a complete idiot, standing in the middle of the road waving my arms!)

[dramaticat]

Thinking about it, I get loads of sacks but rarely see the collecting vans. Not that I spend my time staring out of the window instead of working, you understand, but I do (usually) sit by a window and can see traffic driving up and down the road. Because it's quiet, I tend to notice vans.

[Bunnylump]

I seem to spend half my life dropping off stuff at the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home Shop. They are always grateful for even the most ridiculous things you'd think no one in their right mind would want. I'm emptying Mum's house, so there's LOADS. They told me that they accept ANY fabric regardless, and apparently they get £1000 a MONTH by selling rubbish for making carpet underlay!! So it's definitely worth doing. I also have my own card there so that they can always record my donations and get the tax back, so it's an even better donation.

Not being a lover of anything second hand, and my worst idea of hell is a jumble sale* I can't understand why people would want all this old tat. But you'd be surprised how busy it is in there, and I suppose ultimately it means less landfill, so I'm all for that.

*So much so that when I was a school governor at the primary school I preferred to donate £40 than have anything to do with it. They all used to think I was really odd, but there's something about sorting through other people's clothes that makes me SQUIRM. (shudder).

[katsmom]

Bawling my eyes out.
Warning! Long insane story.

Around the Middle of January, I got a sore throat, went to the dr. and was given antibiotics. I took them for the prescribed week and started feeling much worse in all sorts of parts of my body. When I couldn't stand it anymore I went back to the Dr. But because it was just after Chinese New Year, my regular Dr. was on holiday. I saw a substitute. She listened to my symptoms, failed to do any type of exam or history, and promptly diagnosed me with the Italian disease(or Spanish, or French if you prefer ) WHAT!!! My first thought was "I'm going to kill someone" Then I asked what to do. She sent me to a dermatologist Now I should have known something was off kilter here, but with that diagnosis, you just do what the Dr. says. So I went to the Dermatologist. Who told me the substitute dr. was off her rocker. The dermatologist then sent me back to my regular Dr. who did the appropriate tests.

I spent a week waiting for the lab results to come back, and as I should have known had I been thinking properly, everything was ok. As it turned out, I was allergic to the antibiotics given in January. (I have loads of drug allergies, and this particular antibiotic is a new one to add to my list) While waiting for the results, I had the most horrible thoughts going through my head, and the stress of it caused me to break out in hives on Sunday. I was a lovely spotty mess for the past two days. Try talking to people when you look like you have the measles or chicken pox or what not. The looks on their faces is priceless! No one would stay within 5 feet of me.

Well, when I got the test results back I started crying and simply couldn't stop. But boy did I sleep good last night! This whole thing from start to finish has been just over a month. Too much pressure for this little girl to handle for so long.

The substitute Dr.? Well, she's been reported to the authorities for misdiagnoses without testing. Me? The spots from the hives disappeared while I was still in the Dr.'s office. Talk about an instant cure!

The moral of this story? ALWAYS get a second opinion.

I have decided to NEVER go see a Dr. again. (heaven help me if I get sick)

And I'm pretty sure that is why it has taken me 8 goes at Taggart and I'm still not there Going to try again today with a clear head. Hopefully I'll make some progress.

[tricia]

Glad you are feeling better now. Its amazing what you mind does when your feeling unwell

Tricia

[katsmom]

Isn't it just. In my sane moments, I realized there was no way in hades....but in my not so sane moments I remembered that this thing addles your brain

So today, I further added to my brain loss...I found all the back issues of PuzzleBrains, my notes, etc. and tortured myself by attempting a few puzzles that I didn't do. Good lord there are loads aren't there

[Bunnylump]

Well, if you're doing THAT, I'd strongly recommend a threapist for your next visit... (Not really).

Oh dear, Katsmom, you poor girl! Oh well, glad you eventually got to the bottom of it all and are now mending.I'm sure you'll be back to your normal bouncing self really soon.

Some doctors are BEYOND BELIEF aren't they (Just don't get me started: eg the CONSULTANT that was considering sending my Mum home from hospital three days before she died, when she couldn't sit up, support her own weight, eat, control her bowels, was bleeding and had a urinary tract and respiritory infection, because she was "making such good progress" ).

[katsmom]

Things like that make you wonder how they got their license...mind you, I know a few teachers.....

I wonder if my insurance will cover therapy for self induced puzzle insanity???

[Bunnylump]

...Receiving ominous sounding official letter which starts
"Trade union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act.." which states that "The governors of the school propose to reduce the number of teaching staff employed by up to 5.2 full time equivalent posts and reduce the number of support staff by 3.1 full time equivalent posts by 31st Aug 2011."

It goes on to say "The reason for the proposed reduction is a predicted shortfall of approximately
£260 000 in the delegated budget in the next financial year."

Well, all I can say about that is, I SINCERELY hope that some of the bankers who created this hole we are presently in are pleased with themselves. I am SO angry.

I don't know yet if this will incude me (it may well). But it's all SO UNNECESSARY. I should find out in the next few weeks.

[kathlyn]

How can you get rid of 0.2 or 0.1 of a teacher

Hope it's not you bunny for the axe but is an ear the equivalant of 0.1.

[Bunnylump]

Well, the 0.1 would probably account for my gob.

[LAT]

Oh that's not a nice letter to get bunny. Hope it's not you* and hope you find out soon.

* though after some of your recent comments you may almost be wishing it was you. So maybe I should say, I hope you are happy with the outcome when you know it

[Bunnylump]

In some ways I'd quite like a chance to loaf about a bit. It's just I don't suppose it'd be very easy to get another job at my advanced years and with no skills... Thing is, I don't know what I would DO. I couldn't possibly go for the same job somewhere else - where's the fun in that? So what next? Astronaut? Pole dancer?

[giraffe]

From what you said previously it sounds like there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. I bet all those deputy heads you mentioned are being paid enough to pay for quite a lot of useful staff with purple furry ears.

[Bunnylump]

Well, let's put it this way. You could get 6 of me for one of them...

[tricia]

LAT

Oh that's not a nice letter to get bunny. Hope it's not you* and hope you find out soon.

* though after some of your recent comments you may almost be wishing it was you. So maybe I should say, I hope you are happy with the outcome when you know it

I agree Lat - got my fingers crossed for you Bunny

Tricia

[Bunnylump]

Thanks, folks. I'll keep you posted.