Nataly

Are you kidding?? Bad weather was invented for "porn-days-in"!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Now that just hurt. You're too funny to be real... You're obviously a robot! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm at home, the weather is shite and I don't have any "real friends" Meh.. Got some good input - rain, parking, and some people made me laugh. I don't really care if I annoyed you in the process ETA - And you're right - I *am* anti-social... Real people are hard work and can't be turned off/ignored whenever I want like my computer can! Well spotted

Too right!! This had occured to me (which is why I used google earth to check out the parking situation). Looks like pretty safe parking. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

The other down side with the bike that I might never make it to Marseille!! I have shockingly bad navigational skills (even though the route looks pretty straightforward and google earth has already shown me there is plenty of bike parking right in front of the building). Still... Thanks for your comment/perspective. Keep them coming, please

Would like a few ideas here... I have an interview with a reputable (if that's possible!) recruitment agency. It is the first meeting, which is both for them to assess me as a candidate and run some roles past me (one in particular which seems interesting). The meeting is a video-conference but from their office in Marseille (I'm in Nice). - If I take the train, it takes 2 and a half hours, costs €67 and isn't really close to their offices. Getting to the station from home and from the arrival station to their office will involve either complicated public transport or a relatively expensive taxi ride. - If I take the bike, it (supposedly) takes slightly less time, costs about half (tolls + fuel), and puts me right at their doorstep (assuming I don't get lost - which if you know me is pretty damn near impossible). I would arrive wearing my leathers so would have to change. Thoughts? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well, I may not like or agree with what someone has to say but I prefer people that say exactly what they think to hyppocrites, liars and back-stabbers. Even if the filterless person is a total douche, at least you know exactly where (s)he stands (and consiquently where you stand). ETA - besides, these people can be tremendously funny!! (Case in point: your example! ) "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I have a slightly different view, personally... I think my scars shaped me and made me stronger. I was bullied a lot in school. And like you, I found the teachers were not helpful or supportive. It made me think that I couldn't always rely on adults to help me. It made me realise that some adults are also bullies. It made me feel like if I really wanted the bullying to stop I had to stick up for myself. I know it sounds perverse, but being bullied was the best thing that could have happened to me in school, because it really shaped my belief/understanding that there is a lot I can do to not be a victim. I'm not saying bullying is a good thing, but it has always existed and always will exist, so learning how to prevent/avoid/stop/deal-with bullies for me was a very important life lesson. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I see you've met my wife. We're members of the same club "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Omg!!! Google can actually read that!! Hillarious! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Here is an excellent summary of the UK newspapers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGscoaUWW2M (A UK co-worker had to explain a bit of the papers to me.) So true!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I reckon he has a higher chance of becoming areligious than I do of converting to Islam!! Maybe we can meet in the middle and come to some kind of compromise... You know... He will admit that I'm right, and I will agree!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Let me give an example... Are you familiar with Herzberg’s theories on motivation?? If not, here is a brief (but not comprehensive) synopsis: He divides motivational factors (in relation to one's job) into 2 categories - Motivators and Hygiene Factors. Motivators increase happiness at work and encourage people to work harder. Hygiene factors do not motivate or cause people to work harder, but if you get these *wrong*, they can be de-motivational. Examples of Hygiene Factors (this may come as a surprise to some people) are: job security, status, pay and benefits. In other words, having these things doesn't make people happy, but not having these things can make people unhappy. What I'm getting at, is that the things we *want* are not always the things that really make us happy. You can have all the ingredients, but not the "magic" (to use your terminology). I often think your problem is that you are focusing on a lot of "hygiene factors" in your personal life and not really looking at the real "motivators." The wikipedia definition (clicky) is a pretty good one and can easily be adapted/applied in the context of one's personal life/relationships. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Ah ha ha!! That just reminded me of something!! Mohamed had some guests over and one of my phones rang - I ended up pulling both out of my pocket to answer and his friend asked: "why do you have 2 phones??" I answered matter-of-factly: "well, one of them is for when Mohamed calls and the other is for when my husband calls". He looked absolutely *mortified* - "you have two husbands???" I said "of course!" He looked about ready to pass out!! Mohamed and I laughed so hard when he was gone!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Thanks... I just spit some coffee on my screen!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Sorry... I already have a man.

I need to stop seeing the world as a system of circuits running on a basic evolutionary code. It may be right, it may be true it may be valid but......it's cold. It takes away the "magic" the "mystery" the "whatever the hell it is really bad chick flicks are based on.." From my point of view, most of what you say isn't wrong... It's just that you're only scratching the surface... There is so much more at play than biology... There is so much more to happiness than finding "The One"... There is so much more to beauty than being under a size 8... There's so much more to success/fulfillment than the size of someone's paycheck... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So will a good French-canadian!!! where can i sign up for one!? still want to increase your wingloading without downsizing ? Actually, I should take back that statement... We're a frisky bunch, so no doubt any fattening up in the kitchen would be offset by workouts in the bedroom!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

His response is not Shallow, it has a fair amount of merit, it may not be a universal truth, but in modern western culture appearance IS currency in a lot of situations. It may not be pertinent to your situation but it would hold a lot of weight in many many other situations. Just because you don't like his response does not make it unjust or wrong To me, his response was one-dimentional (another word for shallow). I didn't say his statement is wrong... In fact usually I agree with most of what Shah posts except that I usually find what he writes simply isn't the whole picture/truth. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Me too, i vote we bring New Year forward a couple of hours, waiting until midnight it hard work sometimes *love* it!! Excellent idea! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

...And I'm wondering which is more insane... People going to bed at this hour, or people getting up at this hour?? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So will a good French-canadian!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

*sigh* I suppose from you I should expect no less than a shallow response. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

You're welcome!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss