Meaningless, meaningless

Hello.  It's probably about time I showed my virtual face in cyberspace again.  Bit tired though.  Here is what I've done since my last post:

• been to Edinburgh with Tom for a week and proper cycled all the way to the Forth Bridge.  (Sadly could not get near enough to rub face on it.)
• signed up for a Spanish course.  Arriba!
• played the last footy match of the summer.  We've got a 2 week break before the Autumn league starts.
• started work on some National Statistics.
• written a paper for a business conference (ironic that I never even wrote an astrophysics conference paper).
• acquired a lovely flatmate to keep me company on those lonely nights.

Gah!  Interrupted by crazy neighbour coming round and being sick in my sink. That's enough, I can't be arsed.

Hasta luego, muchachos...

Just been watching the news about the protestors at Drax power station with increasing irritation.  Partly because I was thinking of going to evening of it, but they never replied to my e-mail, and partly because the media couldn't stage a more stereotypical head-to-head if they tried.

 The protestors: I could almost hear Tom shouting "bloody crusties" at the screen.  Dirty, dreadlocked, poorly dressed and earnest, the lot of them.  And, of course, they were spinning poi.

 The police: "We've had a successful day, peaceful protests, law and order maintained, etc. etc..  Oh, and we just happen to have arrested 38 people in line with our policy of not letting the hippies get too cocky."

 Grr!

I'm probably just irritated from the shit week I've been having.  Have spent all week so far writing a social research paper for a conference in a field I previously knew nothing about, then lost most of today to a 4 and a half hour meeting.  All fun and games in the SBS!

 

My question for today: is it still possible to push-start a car, what with all the new-fangled gadgetry they have in them these days?  I think I remember someone telling me they don't have spark plugs any more, which would mean you can't jump start them, but what about giving them a good old fashioned shove? Earlier I saw a car stuck in the middle of the road with its hazard lights flashing and burly looking blokes standing around it and was wondering why it hadn't been pushed to safety, is all.  

Here's one for the grammar pedants:

Why, when you're imagining something, are you supposed to say, "If I were..." and, "I wish I were..." rather than, "I wish I was..."?  I know that's what you're supposed to do because my mum told me, but why?  Come to think of it, why don't we say, "I wish I am..."?

Bloody stupid language, English.

 

The other thing I've been pondering is why, if, as is generally acknowledged, women who work together start to "coincide", why isn't the whole world on some great universal cycle where we are all grumpy at the same time and there is a peak in the number of babies born every month?  Answer me that, huh.