Thoughts on the usefulness of examinations from the ever estimable Lucy Kellaway.
Reading etc.
In short
Me: I’ve bought a book about twins starting school: “Topsy and Tim Start School”
Mr. Waffle: I wonder what Topsy is short for?
Princess: Topsyietta?
Does..
I typed “does” into google and the first suggestion in the drop down list was “does he like me?” which I find rather endearing and delightful.
From the birth announcements
X – [Innocous parental names] are thrilled to declare the arrival of a beautiful new person to the world, ThoraÃ… a sister to [slightly less outlandish name and another odd one]..
ZEITGEIST – ZEITGEIST – A and B are delighted to announce the birth of their son …Jake… A little brother for Ben, Sam, Jessica and Milly.
Note that I have selected names that are too unusual and names that are too common for your consideration. We birth column police are a fickle, hard to please lot.
Equality
I have a friend whose father regularly says “there’s no point in sending women to college as they always give up working”. This is an immense source of annoyance to my friend who has always been in (very gainful) employment since leaving college twenty years ago and, given the state of her company’s pension fund, looks likely to continue to do so until she is seventy. On the other hand she talked about another friend who had recently attended a twenty year school reunion. At the ten year reunion, all of her former classmates had been running the world; at this reunion, it was all “you have children and you still have to work, how dreadful for you”.
We then talked about all the women we knew who were the main breadwinners in their households (including both of us though, I’m hoping that, in my case, that is only temporary). Off the top of our heads, we came up with 10. Isn’t that interesting? Brave new world, people. Now, if only we could close that persistent salary gap.
I could buy one book
Town Mouse encourages readers to buy a book from a small independent publisher that is finding it difficult to keep its head above water.
I have purchased this which I hope should be a further exploration of my interest in women and psychiatry (first inspired by the really excellent Siri Hustvedt). Having (alas, subsequent to purchase) read a short extract, I am not altogether convinced. However, you will be more discriminating should you choose to purchase, I am sure.