meganiwish

Hi Shafted, Is it just me getting the driver error page or is it the same for everyone and I just need to be patient. Sorry, I wasn't certain if my PM got sent

Thank you.  I found out what the bell was about.  I'm intrigued about what you liked about my post, as you didn't ....  Oh dear, I've just mummed all over it, haven't I?  The point of like is that you don't have to say anything.  I get it now.

Love your Essex girl joke. Yes, we do blond too. In the eighties, Essex girls were known for weaaring white stillettos. These days I think fake tan is their trademark. Years ago, I stood with a colleague watching my daughter and her best friend get into her best friend's dad's 1960s Ford Zephyr. My colleague, a girl from Essex, said, "I'd feel like a princess being driven in that car." I said, "You can take the girl out of Essex, but you can't take Essex out of the girl.". Is there anywhere in the states like that?

I suppose Southerners with pretensions of grandeur like to be known as hillwilliams lol. I've been to a few of those places: Lousiana, Texas, Kentucky, Tennesee, Arizona. I gave Alabama a miss. My boyfriend and I were both a bit hippy/goth lookingat the time and didn't think it would be wise on advice we were given. So I only know it form To Kill a Mockingbird. What a rip of. I read it, and never once did they explain how to kill one lol.

Yes Scout, that's right, real name Jean Louise. Doesn't Atticus leave you wondering where all the real gentlemen have gone. Can be a real man without being coarse or rough. I lasts read it last year, introducing my daughter to it. Modern British education doesn't make them read any of the books they should. I find people get too hung up on the trial and Alabama prejuidice. Of course, it has a big part, but there's no suggestion in the book that the people are anything but decent people, Bob Ewell excepted. I've always seen it as a book about the loss of childhood innocence, innocence being the mockingbird of the title. I think a key moment is when Mr Dolphus Raymond tells Dill he's right to cry about the injustice. 'Because you're children and you can understand it...Let him get a little older and he won't get sick and cry.' Lovely book.

No, I'm afraid I haven't read any Louise Erdrich, but I will look some out. Of course, when I talk about what young people should read, like anyone my age I mean what I think they should read, which equally means what I've read. One of my favourite modern authors is Joanne Harris (Chocolat, Blackberry Wine etc) but I also like John Grisham, who I think has a Harper Lee quality to his writing. And Audrey Niffeneger has such a way with making you love the characters and suspension of disbelief. It's quite magical. I'd love to be a writer like that, but I can't come close. I'm a better reader than I am writer, and no-one wants to know about that

Thinking of the word 'quiz' (which I'm guessing means for you in this context the same as 'test' would for us), I wonder if you can help me. What does 'pop quiz' mean? When I was a girl there was a TV programme called Pop Quiz here, which involved answering questions on pop music. I guess that's not what it means to you. I ask because it's at the beginning of REM's Imitation of Life. Also, do you know what 'water hyacinth' and 'named by a poet' mean. Are they games that American children play? I wondered if water hyacinth is that folded paper thing children make that you can open and close with fingers and thumbs to reveal choices.

Pop quiz being unexpected, yes, I can see that. Quiz in Britain is always questions for fun. Did you used to make those foldy paper things when you were a kid? The kids I taught did, as did we. They called them Colour changers. I think water hyacinth would be a better name. Maybe REM just had very weird childhoods. Wen used to get a lot of power cuts when i was little, and would play games where you remember a river with every letter of the alphabet, then a country, etc. Wondered if named by a poet was similar

I supppose what's different for us is that we never had to pass a grade to move on through the school. I imagine the threat of having to repeat a grade must be quite alarming. Lots of pubs here hold quiz nights, where teams can compete for a small prize answering general knowledge questions. That must sound most odd to you. Perhaps we are odd. I was wrong, by the way, about the words of the song being pop quiz. It's 'charades, pop skill, water hyacinth, named by a poet...' so we're none the wiser. I only guess they're games because I know what charades is.

Hi Tigerblue, and wlecome, Bit slow to answer because, I must admit that I feel, however unreasonably, a little doubtful of chaps' motives. But I know exactly how you feel discovering you aren't the only one. I'd thought I was for more than thirty years. Doesn't it feel good to learn you're not alone? Hope you enjoy the site. Megan

Asi que eres Argentina. Yo tenia un amigo Argentino llamado Pepof en Sevilla, en Espana. Hablo espanol mexicano, pero he leido Mafalda. Supongo que no estamos permitidas hablar espanol aqui

I think it would go some way towards making early morning decisions easier. The advanced version could involve wardrobe and shoe closet springs, to do the whole outfit, but I feel this might need more than mere engineering ability to prevent some disastrous fashion faux pas. Are there any schools running courses in fashion and engineering? Maybe this is the way of the future.

Ay, disculpame. Parece que no soy la unica que quiere praticar su espanol. Pobre de ti. O quizas prefieres hablar ingles aqui. La verdad es que mi espanol es tan anticuado, hace diez anos que no lo hablo. He leido en espanol. Pero mi hija esta estudiando espanol en la universidad, y me gustaria mucho poder ayadarla. No, en realidad, temo que va a hablar mejor que yo. Veo de tu foto que eres muy hermosa, y tu avatar es perfecto. Te gusta bailar? Yo bailaba el baile popular ingles antes, pero hoy en dia mis rodillas quejan demasiado. Te veo dando vueltas bajo la mano de algun gaucho, pero con todo eres su maestra. Disculpame. Vivo en Europa donde solo temenos estereotipos para entretenarnos.

Por supuesto, estare muy contenta darte la oportunidad de praticar el espanol, pero voy a aconsejar que lo reservemos por la mayor parte para conversciones que tengamos con Roxyinheels. Asi las dos aprenderemos mejor. Como ya he dicho, mi espanol es algo anticuado. Y ademas, ya estoy acostumbrada a hablarte en ingles. De acuerdo?

I can't work out how to make it private. Doesn't matter. Hope it's not inappropriate, but just had a lovely night with my son and he's just had to go home. I wanted to say something to someone, and you're the one with the little green head and shoulders. Not going to see him again for about a month, and felling a bit tearful and lonely Please don't feel you need to reply or give any thought here. Not your problem . Like I say, you're the unlucky one who'son-line

He's 21 and lives in my town with his girlfriend. They're off to France for a month or so. Sorry about last night's message. I was a little bit drunk and feeling sorry for myself. My children are going out into the world and they don't need me any more. It's the way it should be

I watched a film version of Jane Eyre today which was almost good (a rare thing), but then it fell at the last hurdle and turned into a love story involving Jane and Mr Rochester, like they all do. None of the film makers seem to see the subtitle 'An Autobiography'. And Jane, of course, is not just a woman, but woman personified. She (woman) loves him (man) because of his rough edges, and the fact that he's aware of them. (A bit like Scout likes men because of the way the spit and cuss. Harper Lee must have had a reason for making Scout a girl, and the story would work just as well with a boy. Actually, To Kill a Mockingbird is written as an autobiography too.) Jane's cousin, St John, is more classically a worthy man, but has no awareness of woman.

Considerandolo bien, me parece que fui algo injusta negarme a hablar espanol aqui. Si quieres estare muy contenta hacerlo, en cuanto pueda volver al ingles cuando mi espanol no sea suficiente para lo que tengo que decir lol (o deberia ser slc (suelta la carcajada) ? Ay, que anticuada soy!

Still can't work out how to get to you in private. Sorry, you're the green bust again. I'm feeling very sad and I want a friend. Do you know "Will You" by Hazel O'Connor, from the album Breaking Glass? I had that tonight, and he politely said goodnight

A chap I was really into, and I thought he was into me. He was polite, but quite firm, so I think that's going nowhere :'( You're right about the sax player. Wesley McGoogan was from my town. I knew him a bit when I was growing up. When they think of saxophone most people think of Baker Street, but Wes's solo is wonderful and ambiguous. No matter how many times I hear it I don't know whether the chap stayed or said goodnight. Well, in my case... Sadly, Wes is no longer with us. Too fond of his drink and such. Megan x

I agree. But he did blow a heavenly sax

Hi Bill, Feellng lonely. Actually, don't know what to add. Say something nice to me so I can sleep

Me too. Lovely to talk to a real gentleman

This might seem a bit of a random question, but did you see all the five plannets that wetre visible last night, or was that just for us? I was looking forward to it, and then the sky was covered with cloud.

I like it when the planets or the moon do something special as I can see it clearly and it means I can pretend I know about astronomy. My daddy used to walk me home from Brownies (girl scouts) when I was little and he used to tell me about the stars and point them out to me, so I used to know the winter sky fairly well. It was always exciting as a child to be out after dark. I've forgotten most of it now, can recognise Orion and the Plough (I believe you call it the Big Dipper.) The sky's too light these days to be able to see much more. Or maybe my eyes aren't what they used to be.