Spiders and hairbrushes in the blogosphere

Oranges are not the only fruit and this is not the only blog: there is another! I am charged with maintaining a blog at work and I am very proud of this. Not because it's comprised of the spontaneous, avante garde content of which (I like to think) readers of abiteintheneck expect; but because it's a second chance blog. This time last year I'd only made three entries on the work blog before I was called into the Star Chamber and severely reprimanded for insubordinate use of the said communication forum. Not only was the content deleted, the whole blog tool was taken from me. They thought it was a punishment. I was greatly relieved: there's only so much a person can say under watchful eyes.

This year, they reinstated the blog tool and told me to get writing. With caution. Dear God readers; whatever happened to enlightenment? I've soldiered on with the fortitude you'd expect but yesterday I made a happy discovery. Unlike this blog, the one at work allows anyone to make an entry. Imagine my surprise (as I assumed that no-one except me and the Obercommandants read the thing) to find a whole set of reflections posted by nervous first year students. Democracy rules OK! Hooray & pip pip! There's life in first year students after all! Here they were in full unadulterated flow engaging with the academic world.

Sadly, democracy is a sham. For a start, when Cameron gets in, I'll have to work until I'm too old to enjoy any retirement that might be left; and when Cameron gets in, Tony Blair will be Emperor of Europe so it won't make any diference who is in government. Which, incidentally, is exactly the type of comment that got me into trouble last year. Further, the students who were baring their souls on my work blog were doing so erroneously. As ever, they'd failed to read the briefing instructions and were supposed to be reflecting on someone else's blog! Poor things. Charged with recounting their impressions to the course tutor, they'd inadvertently shared their apprehensions with the whole institution. Doubtless, they're all in counselling now; which will keep a few others in employment. So, dear readers, please feel free to add your comments to this blog without impunity.

On another note, it's been a very bad hair day, literally and metaphorically. I went for my early morning swim only to find my hairbrush had disappeared. This meant I spent the day wearing an enviable impression of an eighties perm. And I still can't find the thing. I have large hair so it's a large hairbrush to misplace but it has gone. Looking on the bright side (which is not accomplished with the aid of a mirror), I have found, during the search, a missing hair clip,thirty euroes and my spare set of car keys. On the downside, things are not looking good on the hair front tomorrow.

Another thing I've located is a spider or two. I recently read that a plague of spiders was looming and just last week I managed to destroy a Black Widow that had the audacity to run across my living room floor. Then my daughter arrived and told me she'd seen its mate running under the settee. I've been waiting to see the fiend for four days and tonight, thinking I was busily involved with the lap-top, it made the mistake of scuttling off towards the television. Deft of hand, I obliterated it and went gaily off to the loo only to sit down and find myself sharing the small room with yet another bird eater. When did this menage a trois of spiders start? It took five pieces of loo roll to get the monster down the pan. Is there no rest for the aged?