Wanted: Car Scraper

Wanted: Loyal, dedicated individual with ability to swiftly arrive on the scene and remove a thin/medium-thickness/thick layer of ice from a car windscreen whenever required.

Benefits: Short working hours, generous holiday allowance (all non-winter months), excellent (although cold) working conditions and a first-rate boss (once said to be 'sound' by someone in the late 1990s).

Salary: Contact me to discuss (whether there will be one, rather than the level thereof).

Would suit someone who has always dreamed of having a job they can describe as 'the 21st century equivalent of a shoe shine boy'. Ideal experience for anyone contemplating a future in scraping.

Contact: Someone who's tired of scraping his car everyday, sometimes twice a day, in only the second week of December. It's going to be a long winter.

Happy to be at home

I thought I'd map out where I've been this summer (start of July - 10 September, mainly in the UK as you can see). I did this mainly to highlight why I've been whining (despite it being my own choice to go on these journeys!) that I've never been at home (rather than to say "look at me, haven't I travelled extensively?")! I've experienced both the east coast mainline and the west coast mainline, visited Holland twice, visited the north what some would consider a dangerous amount, and become even more intimately acquainted with my car in the process. It was a fun summer, but I'm definitely happy to be at home again now.

"Can I ask you a question?"

This is a question that I've found myself asking and it's been annoying me, simply because it doesn't make any sense - it's a stupid thing to ask!

Why? Well, it doesn't really give the person that you're asking much choice, does it? Your asking for permission to ask a question ... by asking a question? How's the other person supposed to say no?! By anticipating the question and interrupting you?! One person at a place I used to work would always respond to this question with: "What? In addition to this one or is that it?" - which made me realise the error of my ways ... except it hasn't stopped me repeating the mistake!

It just seems to me to be a natural way to check it's alright to interrupt someone when you want to ask them about something. Stopping asking this is probably not a change that's going to revolutionise my life, but it's a habit I want to break because it's a stupid thing to say!