Quibbles of a thinker

Just woke up about half an hour ago, and you know when you have one of those days! AARRRGGHH!!!

After this past half hour I thought - "I want a revolution!"

I was woken up by a phone call by my local jobcentre - I applied for Income Support because I was turned down for my Maternity Grant - I'm on Incapacity because of illness and have been since i lost my job through illness last year.

I found out today that the jobcentre have LOST ALL OF MY ORIGINAL id! Birth Cert, Marriage Cert, Bank Statements, Tenancy Agreement, MATB1 - the lot!

And I was rejected for Income Support because Incapacity pays £2 more a week - I told the lady I didn't care about the extra £2 a week - I need that grant for things for the baby - her reply was "Government rules are government rules" I'll be eligible in the New Year because apparently my MATB1 (Maternity Certificate) covers me for Incapacity Benefit through the pregnancy till late December (a few weeks after the birth).

I am so tired of battling with these people, and that "hard luck" attitude they take with you.

Here's an example - Yesterday I telephoned them to find out about how my claim to Income Support was going, now, I was a month late handing in my claim form and ID because I have been having to rest because of baby being so hyperactive and hurting me - I told the "gentleman" on the phone this and he DID NOT BELIEVE ME. I said I have been on bedrest and his reply was "Oh right, have you now!" and I replied "Yes... I am heavily pregnant and had to wait until I was well enough to get a lift and hand the information in." He was so rude. They really do talk down to you at these offices.

I said to my mother this morning on the phone - I can't understand this system - there are junkies and such that get more money and more help. There are do-gooders than say "Look after them, rehabilitate" But what of the people who actually want to make a difference with their lives but are struggling and are treated like dirt and given a pittance?

The jobcentre have advised I contact Social Services for help! (My mum did that back in 1979 - I know times have changed but I was nearly taken into care because my parents had no money). My Dad told me to complain to the local press - what would that prove?

Call me a snob, but I am embarrassed as it is for being on benefits, I hate the way when you see them or phone them at these places that they tar you with the same brush as people who don't want to work, it is not the case with all of us - some of us are just unlucky enough to lose our jobs through illness or redundancy and can't help it.

Anyway, the jobcentre have been searching their offices for my ID and cannot find it. And way hey, my coursework for Uni arrived this morning, but I missed the delivery because baby kept me up all night booting me in the ribs giving me an asthma attack last night, I have to go and pick it up tomorrow from the sorting office - they want ID when I go to collect - but I have no ID anymore! GGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

I said to DH, as soon as Luke is born, if I am fit an well within 2 weeks after the birth I am going early for my work placement which was promised for New Year anyway, we just cannot afford for me to be on benefits with our outgoings - at the moment I live on less than £20 a week of my money and the rest pays off debts and bills.

DH is unable to work because he has a bone condition which prevents him from working, that was why we arranged for me to be the "earner" and him stay at home.

I just can't wait to get back to working again, I just feel so down today. That is the last thing you need though isn't it - getting woken up by a phone call like that!

"Today, I will mostly be - hating people... and the government." Give me a revolution! PLEEEEAAASSSEEE! LOL

Well, good evening! It is about eight thirty, I'm in the living room once more (should be cooking the dinner)!

Been on a Mums to be uk message board this evening and did a post on the funny things about being preggers, thought I would share.

For all those pregnant women out there, especially first time mums noticing the little inconveniences of getting a big belly:-

Here are a few

To your shock and dismay, you discover you can no longer see your feet.

You have to sit on the loo with your legs akimbo because the bump prevents you from peeing

You crouch down to get something out of the fridge and end up on the floor for quite sometime because you cannot get back up again.

You can no longer see past the bump to shave/neaten your Puddy tat!

You can now do the Spiderman impression - you can't get out of the bath.

You waddle like a constiptated duck!

You now discover that you can get away with farting and belching in front of your significant other without embarrassment and blame it on the baby!

You forget things and then discover that after searching the house for the remote control that you have actually left it in the fridge! (and cannot work out why)

Your tits are huge! Which can be a good thing if you were a nelly no tits before hand - and you just pray that after breastfeeding that they won't flatten again or go south!

Your hair looks crazy - either really flat and greasy, or suddenly very big and hollywood looking but in the frizzy untidy kind of way - either way the Bandana or baseball cap now becomes your friend.

You wobble like a weeble when trying to get up out of a chair.

Nothing fits you anymore - even some maternity gear is tight (30+ weeks on) and the most money you end up spending is on maternity clothes. And you can't help but shed a tear when you see an item of pre-preggers clothing in your wardrobe looking back at you saying "You may as well take me to Oxfam because you won't fit into me anymore."

Your significant other cannot take their eyes off your huge tits.

Your significant other takes great fun in pressing your belly button which was once an "inny" but is now an "outy"!

I'm sure many can relate to this and smile. If you can you're probably in your third trimester and can't wait to give birth!

As I mentioned before I was rudely interrupted with the reminder that I had an accident with a Space Hopper thus rendering me rather big and round in the belly region. I've decided to tackle the issue which touches the hearts of many of us - The Television! What on EARTH are we watching these days?

I'm back in my living room and Jon and Adam are sitting watching the TV, in fact they're watching Family Guy - an American show. I have never really watched it nor do I have much enthusiasm to try as right now all I can think of is the luscious ham and pineapple pizza that is in the oven and attempting to write this blog without sounding like a complete moaning twat!

I looked briefly at the TV guide (radio times.com - 350 channels 14 days... ooh exciting) while wondering what there was to watch and it amazes me that we pay our licence to watch some of the Sh1t that graces our screens, here are a few examples of tonight's viewing (bearing in mind I have freeview too, so all those extra channels and still I hop from station to station).

How Clean is Your House - Let's expose dirty bastards for the untidy buggers they are eh?

You are what you eat - Now, I am sure this is the show where they actually have the audacity to show you what your own poo looks like after eating the foods you eat - like you don't already turn round to admire? But who wants to see someone else's Log on the telly??? And some professional has to drum it into you to eat your greens!!!

Trinny and Susannah - Two birds with the money to wear what they like and dictate to everyone else what they "SHOULD" be wearing! Also having the audacity to tell someone they look like Shit in front of millions on television.

It's me or the Dog - "Animal behaviourist Victoria Stilwell conducts a mass dog-training masterclass for Britain's unruliest pets at an open-air festival." - Oh no! You are kidding me, people actually get paid to psycho analyse dogs?

Diet Doctors Inside Out - Another look at your own shite and weep show!

Who do you think you are? - Ancestors - okay, nice for those who are into geneology - but are we really that interested in the ancestry of celebs?

Supernanny - Showing us all what the Naughty Step is. Come on - millions have been bringing up their kids since the dawn of time and yet, we have to get shown HOW to be a parent by someone who may not acutally have kids herself?

The Conman with 14 wives- "Access documentary with the world's biggest bigamist and serial conman - as he apologises to those he's damaged." Don't we watch Jerry Springer for this? Who actually gives a shit?

That brings me onto the soaps - Coronation Street, Eastenders, Emmmmmmmerdalllllle... Gracing our screens for years and the hottest topic of conversation in the Pub afterwards. What is it about? People's lives - the same (if not exaggerated) things that go on in our own famillies, friendship circles and so on. So... why is it so fascinating?

Then we have things like Trisha, Jeremy Kyle and so on... let's watch a bunch of dysfunctional people argue on the TV. Thing is, if you happen to work wierd shifts and that is the first thing YOU see when you first turn on the television, doesn't it depress you? No wonder we're all Bi-Polar!!!

Okay, my mate Adam just likened me to Gary Bushell - that's not the case! I just cannot understand people and what they seem to find interesting viewing.

I admit it's all down to taste, but don't you feel that there is nothing really deeply thought provoking out there? Reality TV, silly documentaries about very shallow stuff.

I remember growing up with things like The Cook Report and such, I remember seeing shows about history, and culture - but now the most you see is Doggie Behaviour and let's wear an A Line skirt instead of a Pencil skirt because "People will find you more attractive".

Then another thought pops in... those who can afford 350 channels on top of their extortionate TV Licence (cos let's face it - it is NOT worth the payment) can watch Discovery channel, History channel, and so on.

But those who have terrestrial, what is there to talk about??? Corrie, Supernanny and Dog Borstal! Unless you read a lot, otherwise your life literally scrapes the surface in conversation.

Things I have heard people talk about in the pub usually consist of: Who's having an affair with who, what the neighbours did to their shed, did you hear that Mrs Blah Blah's son is a druggie delinquent? Then they talk about Corrie or Eastenders whereupon the story line is: Who is having an affair with who, what Dot did to her garden shed, and blah blah's son is a druggie delinquent.

It also amazes me that these people in the pub when they hear my friends and I talking about local politics, about what we've read, what project we're working on at that time - that the telly addicts call us freaks in the corner! Because we cannot relate to their need for gossip and TV pap!

If the UK TV people actually made the same effort they put into their films then perhaps we have a hope!

It's not all bad - I have seen a few shows that are quite good (personal opinion), shows that capture imagination, capture emotion and make us think... But they appear to be few and far between.

I pay my TV Licence like the rest of you - I be-grudgingly pay it, just to keep the fine at bay. And there are sometimes shows on the telly that are worth watching, that is why it still remains in the living room.

Have I been blind to this all this time... It is amazing what being pregnant can do, when you can't really do much because the bump is too heavy that all there is is a TV full of crap! What is the world coming to? Can't wait to go back to work!

As I mentioned before I was rudely interrupted with the reminder that I had an accident with a Space Hopper thus rendering me rather big and round in the belly region. I've decided to tackle the issue which touches the hearts of many of us - The Television! What on EARTH are we watching these days?

I'm back in my living room and Jon and Adam are sitting watching the TV, in fact they're watching Family Guy - an American show. I have never really watched it nor do I have much enthusiasm to try as right now all I can think of is the luscious ham and pineapple pizza that is in the oven and attempting to write this blog without sounding like a complete moaning twat!

I looked briefly at the TV guide (radio times.com - 350 channels 14 days... ooh exciting) while wondering what there was to watch and it amazes me that we pay our licence to watch some of the Sh1t that graces our screens, here are a few examples of tonight's viewing (bearing in mind I have freeview too, so all those extra channels and still I hop from station to station).

How Clean is Your House - Let's expose dirty bastards for the untidy buggers they are eh?

You are what you eat - Now, I am sure this is the show where they actually have the audacity to show you what your own poo looks like after eating the foods you eat - like you don't already turn round to admire? But who wants to see someone else's Log on the telly??? And some professional has to drum it into you to eat your greens!!!

Trinny and Susannah - Two birds with the money to wear what they like and dictate to everyone else what they "SHOULD" be wearing! Also having the audacity to tell someone they look like Shit in front of millions on television.

It's me or the Dog - "Animal behaviourist Victoria Stilwell conducts a mass dog-training masterclass for Britain's unruliest pets at an open-air festival." - Oh no! You are kidding me, people actually get paid to psycho analyse dogs?

Diet Doctors Inside Out - Another look at your own shite and weep show!

Who do you think you are? - Ancestors - okay, nice for those who are into geneology - but are we really that interested in the ancestry of celebs?

Supernanny - Showing us all what the Naughty Step is. Come on - millions have been bringing up their kids since the dawn of time and yet, we have to get shown HOW to be a parent by someone who may not acutally have kids herself?

The Conman with 14 wives- "Access documentary with the world's biggest bigamist and serial conman - as he apologises to those he's damaged." Don't we watch Jerry Springer for this? Who actually gives a shit?

That brings me onto the soaps - Coronation Street, Eastenders, Emmmmmmmerdalllllle... Gracing our screens for years and the hottest topic of conversation in the Pub afterwards. What is it about? People's lives - the same (if not exaggerated) things that go on in our own famillies, friendship circles and so on. So... why is it so fascinating?

Then we have things like Trisha, Jeremy Kyle and so on... let's watch a bunch of dysfunctional people argue on the TV. Thing is, if you happen to work wierd shifts and that is the first thing YOU see when you first turn on the television, doesn't it depress you? No wonder we're all Bi-Polar!!!

Okay, my mate Adam just likened me to Gary Bushell - that's not the case! I just cannot understand people and what they seem to find interesting viewing.

I admit it's all down to taste, but don't you feel that there is nothing really deeply thought provoking out there? Reality TV, silly documentaries about very shallow stuff.

I remember growing up with things like The Cook Report and such, I remember seeing shows about history, and culture - but now the most you see is Doggie Behaviour and let's wear an A Line skirt instead of a Pencil skirt because "People will find you more attractive".

Then another thought pops in... those who can afford 350 channels on top of their extortionate TV Licence (cos let's face it - it is NOT worth the payment) can watch Discovery channel, History channel, and so on.

But those who have terrestrial, what is there to talk about??? Corrie, Supernanny and Dog Borstal! Unless you read a lot, otherwise your life literally scrapes the surface in conversation.

Things I have heard people talk about in the pub usually consist of: Who's having an affair with who, what the neighbours did to their shed, did you hear that Mrs Blah Blah's son is a druggie delinquent? Then they talk about Corrie or Eastenders whereupon the story line is: Who is having an affair with who, what Dot did to her garden shed, and blah blah's son is a druggie delinquent.

It also amazes me that these people in the pub when they hear my friends and I talking about local politics, about what we've read, what project we're working on at that time - that the telly addicts call us freaks in the corner! Because we cannot relate to their need for gossip and TV pap!

If the UK TV people actually made the same effort they put into their films then perhaps we have a hope!

It's not all bad - I have seen a few shows that are quite good (personal opinion), shows that capture imagination, capture emotion and make us think... But they appear to be few and far between.

I pay my TV Licence like the rest of you - I be-grudgingly pay it, just to keep the fine at bay. And there are sometimes shows on the telly that are worth watching, that is why it still remains in the living room.

Have I been blind to this all this time... It is amazing what being pregnant can do, when you can't really do much because the bump is too heavy that all there is is a TV full of crap! What is the world coming to? Can't wait to go back to work!

The creation of this blog was originally created in order to place the many observations that go through my head onto paper - or screen as the case..is! 

Right now, I sit here in the living room on my laptop, "sitting like a bloke" legs akimbo making room for a huge baby bump sprouting from my belly which has been baking and growing for the past 32 weeks.  My first baby.  A bit of a surprise I guess, especially after not one but three pregnancy tests back in April - because there was just no way I could believe a Pink Dot on a stick that you pee on.  So finding out I was pregnant was actually a costly experience.  Has anyone any idea how much these things cost?  About a tenner for the cheapest. 

It actually cost me about £35 to find out...
£10 for the first test
£10 for the second
£5 for the taxi to the GP's office to get it confirmed by him.
£10 for the beer that I had in town when was trying to actually get my head round the news!

Anyway, I'm not writing about the baby, love the little guy to bits, but I am tired of all the baby talk! 

When you're preggers, your friends come into two categories:

Those who conveniently forget you because you can't party with them anymore.

And those, who take great delight in patting your bump the second they see you, lecture you about the fact that you still have the occaisional drink, you do tend to spark up a cig when the going gets a little touch, and talk BABY BABY BABY before finally getting round to saying "How you doing?"  And it's no longer "How u doing?" It's "How are you feeling?" or "How are you coping?"  And you really want to turn round and shake them and say "Shut the F**K up!  Talk to me like you used to...Please.  I'm not just a baby vessel, I am still MEEEEEEEEE!" Ahem...

So anyway, today's Quibble - the crap they put on telly...
I shall keep you posted, hubby is standing over me ready to go out for a quick drink and wants me to hurry up and get ready.

Perhaps this first Quibble should be people who rush you to the pub........?  Nah, that's not a quibble.  I should get my priorities right.  TO THE PUB!!!