Bin Bags

OK, so you may not feel that 'bin bags' are worthy of a 'RANT'???


They most certainly are.


A few weeks ago I bought some 'extra strong' bin bags from a well known supermarket.  'Extra strong'?? - 10 for £1.  That's 10p per bin bag.  My bin bags are anything but 'extra strong'.  In fact if the truth be told......................  My 'extra strong' bin bags are actually 'extra weak'.


To say I am furious about this mis-representation of my bin bags is an understatement.


So far I have used four of these so called extra strong bin bags.  And so far every time I have taken the bin bag out of the bin it has split.  That means, I then have to put the 'extra strong bin bag' into another 'extra strong bin bag'.  That means that every time I use a bin bag I actually have to use 2 bin bags.  So now my bin bags are costing me 20p per bin bag.


Unfortunately, I can't remember which supermarket I bought these 'extra strong bin bags' from???


It is so, so annoying though.  I think I might do a bit of 'googling' to see what criteria is used for describing a bin bag as 'extra strong'??


I can't believe that I am 'ranting' about bin bags??  Bin bags are just bin bags - black sacks that one fills up with rubbish.  ................BUT if you fill up your 'extra strong' black bin bag with rubbish and then it splits and all the rubbish falls out, the minute you try to move it...................  Then in my opinion................  that is NOT an 'extra strong bag'???


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......................

Good schools

OK so tonight I am sitting here watching 'How to get into a good school'.


I haven't got kids so I've never been through the 'which school should I send my kid to' scenario.  I have however, been a teacher and I have taught in some so called very bad areas.  In my day of teaching, 'Ofsed' was only just beginning and 'league tables' hadn't been invented.  If league tables had been around I can guarantee that one of the schools that I taught in for more than 10 years, would probably have been at the bottom of the league??  I can also guarantee that, that particular school had the most dedicated, conscientious, hardworking bunch of teachers that I have ever encountered.


Ofsed & league tables are all very well and good.  But what the majority of the great British public don't seem to understand is...................  There's more to life than 'academic achievements'???


OK, so I accept that as an 'educated person' (who has worked in a lot of so called 'menial' jobs); I have a choice because I have qualifications.  At the moment I clean holiday let properties one day a week because living in the SW, cleaning pays a lot more than my 'proper job' which is running the office of a very successful company.


BUT what annoys me and turns me into a 'middle aged ranting spinster' is........................  All this 'Ofsed & league tables' stuff never seems to take into account what the teachers are actually starting with in the first place.


For most of my teaching career I taught infants. (Though I have taught all other ages as well.)  And what really annoys me about all these boxes that seem to have to be ticked these days..................  Where is the room for empathy, caring, compassion?????


The kids that I taught in the 1980's were the sons/daughters of drug dealers/alcoholics/etc etc etc.  OK 'Jeremy Kyle' hadn't even been heard of then, but if he had - the show could have been broadcast from the school that I taught in.


I remember one mother coming to pick her son up (an hour late - in those days the teacher just stayed until all kids had been collected), she'd collected her benefits that day and gone out drinking.  Walked into the school, pulled down her pants and wee-ed in the mop bucket that a cleaner had left by the entrance.  


Obviously parents want to send their kids to the 'best' school.


My gripe is - What qualifies as a 'best school'?  And it seems that 'Ofsed' & most parents only recognise academic qualifications???


OK, so most people seem to think that 'academic qualifications' are the only thing that is important.  And if that's what you're looking for in a school then that's fine.


However.........................  I would just like to say........................  that a child who loves to come to school, likes school more than home, interacts more with his/her teacher than his own parents & feels that school is a safe environment................................. Then who cares about league tables????


..........................Some parents just seem to be constantly pushing their kids to achieve the 'materialistic dream' instead of teaching them how to be happy!!!!

Contactable 24hrs?!

OK so I wasn't quite sure what title to give this post so I've given it the title, 'Contactable 24hrs?!'


I've just received (at 8.30pm) a 'forwarded text from my boss' (who is not going to be in work tomorrow) a text that he had received from a client about items that the client wants delivering?!!


My job is; running the office for a very successful business in the SW.  My official title is 'Office Administrator/PA' and yet I am not even paid the 'living wage' of £7.85ph?


So I did what any good 'office administrator/PA' would do - I texted him back immediately and said, it would be sorted in the morning.


And yet....................  This has got me thinking?


1)   Why do people think that businesses operate 24/7


2)   Why does my boss respond via his personal mobile the minute he gets a call/email/text?  This only means that everyone responds to his calls via this number and then he gets angry that they're not phoning the landline???  And then he gets 'angry at me' because I haven't a clue what's going on???


3)   Why can we not have a 'work' mobile that we switch off at 5pm?


4)   How come my boss is texting me at 8.30pm at night? - I'm supposed to be a 'part-time' worker.  Surely if he wasn't coming in tomorrow he could just have emailed stuff through to the work computer ready for me to find at 9am???  I love my job but I hate being contactable 24/7 - I HAVE a life???


5)   ZERO hours contract - This DOES NOT mean that a boss can control your life!!!


I actually don't know the answers to any of the 'above'???


..............DO YOU???

Dentists - Rant 3

OK, so since my last RANT about my dentist, more than a year ago, I haven't bothered ranting any more.  I still feel the same.  I think this is the 5th time I've been to the dentist since he took over the practise?!!




He's still asking me the same stupid questions that he did the first time he saw me:




Do I floss?
Do I use an electric toothbrush?
How often do I clean my teeth?




Honestly; I really feel like just bashing him in the teeth.  He keyed all this information into his computer the first time he saw me.  I really do not understand why he has to ask me these same questions every time I see him.  ..............Just get on with the job and stop being so patronising!!!  Or go back to dental college and learn a few people skills?!




The job today was to give me a filling.  I haven't had a filling since I was about 14 years old.  The last time I went for a check up & clean he told me one of my fillings had a crack in it so it would need to be replaced.  Obviously one tends to 'trust' the professionals. 




The problem I have is.......................




.................For the whole of my life (I'm 56 years old) I have visited the dentist every six months.  And until 'Mr Patronising Dentist' I still don't know his name because he's never bothered to introduce himself came on the scene, I've been told the same thing - 'You have really bad tartar but your gums are in good condition.'




Today, 'Mr Patronising Dentist' said that he wanted to take an X-ray of my teeth and then he wanted me to make an appointment to see a dental hygienist so she could look at my gums.  Not only look at my gums; apparently she'd have to 'numb them' to do this.  Just googled this.  It sounds like a local anaesthetic to me and I could be in pain for 48 hours???  Then I'd be given a deep clean and an assessment.




As a 'totally stressed out dental patient' I just went along with all this and agreed.  He's the professional after all.   'Mr Patronising Dentist' was telling me that I may develop serious gum disease.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't.  BUT he didn't give me the option to make an informed choice.


So I've done a lot of 'Googling'.  And I now understand a lot more about the procedure.  And no way am I going to put myself through that.




To be honest the whole 'filling experience' was no where near as bad as the 'cleaning experience' (though I did think he was going to clean my teeth today as well??!!).  Having said that; I can now 'feel' that I have a filling in my tooth whereas before I didn't even know there was a filling there.  Apparently he's replaced a silver filling with a white filling, as if that was the best thing in the world??  As far as I'm concerned - I've had a silver filling for more than 40 years so I couldn't care less what colour the filling was.  The lovely jubbly white filling cost me £51.30 on the NHS which apparently is standard price.  Can't find any prices for silver fillings???




However if I go through with this 'numbing my gums & deep cleaning thing'; I saw on 'my card' it's going to cost me £135.  Not sure where this price has come from because looking on the NHS dentist website they have 3 price bands - £18, £51.30 & £225




Anyway I am going to exercise my 'patient rights'???  No way is anyone going to anesthetise me to dig underneath my gums!!!




I'm going to be really brave and stand up to the professionals..................




...................I will continue to go for a dental check up and clean every six months (which is more than the NHS recommended guidelines of every 1-2 years).




Tomorrow I am going to contact my dental surgery and tell them I will come for a check up & clean every 6 months.  BUT no way is anyone going to anesthetise me and go digging underneath my gums???




PS - The receptionist & dental hygienist/assistant at my practise are very, very lovely people.  They have the best people skills ever.




http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1781.aspx?CategoryID=74