Thursday 20 December 2007

Friday 20th December 07

A good day, productive but tough. I took the kids to school because Gill wasn't feeling like it, and had a word with Annette about the very full compost bin and the one which needs turning/emptying and the one which needs installing, preferably next to the other two. She told me she'd have an answer by end of school today.

I came home and thought I'd have enough time to do my emails... but they still weren't working... I got just one message from Tiscali saying I'd put in my password incorrectly... however I hadn't put in any password and I then tried to sort out the problem by following various instructions, but this is something I find difficult and I couldn't get it sorted properly so I gave up... and got ready for work. Today is an unusual gig... a 'corporate' appointment in a call centre in York, to help thank the staff for their first year of working in this centre.

I found it, the Ryedale Building, 7th Floor, best view in York, apparently! The client was Guoman Thistle hotels, who were providing the thank you for one of their partners, Superbreak. I met the management... one dressed in a 'Superman' outfit (actually a 'Superbreak Man' outfit) and managed to get a plug in for sustainability and 'greening your business', in an appropriate way, I hope! Then I did a very short announcement to introduce the Guoman Thistle team, and Superbreak Man did the rest. I did some devilsticking and then lots of balloon modelling, doing most staff on the top floor and some on the floor below, did perhaps 80 or 90 models in all, finishing at 2pm, knackered but well paid.

Went to pay in cheques, visited Martin's on the way home and got back at 10 to 3, just time enough to make a sandwich and then go and get the kids, which I did in Fiddlesticks costume as I'd had no time to change, lunch being more important. I was told I could install the third compost bin next to the playground, hooray! But not tomorrow whilst the children were at school.... which is a bummer as I was going to do it in the morning.

Our youngest went home with a friend, I came back with the other one... and then back at 6pm to pick up the other... loads of cycling!

Managed to get my email problem sorted... for now anyway! Hooray!

I had an interesting and anonymous message from 'Dr Evil' which sheds light on her problem with me, well two problems perhaps. She doesn't like my allotment being untidy and considers me lazy. Which is fair enough, but she perhaps doesn't know or realise that it's been a bad year for growing my preferred lottie crops, pumpkins (they didn't do anything much) and this lack of cover allowed the weeds to grow. But more than that, was I took on organising the York Green Festival which took up far more of my time than I'd imagined, and the lottie, with it's brambles doing well in the rain and the pumpkins, squash, sweetcorn etc doing badly. Her second problem is that she thinks I have done sonething inappropriate to her, and for this perception I apologise. It would be better if she would say something to my face when/if something like that happens, rather than post comments anonymously on my blog. I want to add that one of her comments was particularly ignorant, as I feel it is inexcusable to criticise someone who may have a condition which they cannot help. ADHD and Aspergers Syndrome are both disabilities, and whichever one I've got (and I still haven't heard from the Maudsley with their final decision) I don't feel it's fair or acceptable to be rude about. An ethical person doesn't make comments about a wheelchair user not being able to use their legs, or a sight-impaired person being unable to see as well as someone with full vision. Someone with developmental behavioural differences shouldn't have to get anonymous negative comments about those behaviours. I also think that anonymous comments on blogs are cowardly and this is why I have chosen not to publish any of these. I would still like the chance to explain a couple of things to this person, and if she decides to reveal who she is to me, I will be as understanding and uncritical as I can, as an 'ethical man' should. After all, her anger and reaction to me might have been potentiated by something earlier in her life which wasn't her fault, and you cannot 'blame' anyone for having been damaged. So I extend a hand of friendship to this person, also forgiveness, and an apology for doing something, without realising it, which upset her. Good luck to her, maybe she will perhaps let the dust settle and decide not to post any more anonymous comments.

No comments: