Posts by Emma Hart
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: Who else forgot to get married?, in reply to Hebe,
I know a couple who kept their own names and blended them for their children’s surnames. Great idea .
We considered this. But that would have made the children's surname "Dearhart", and I am not that much of a sadist.
-
Hard News: Who else forgot to get married?, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Surely it’s just a choice. It may just appeal to some folks to bind their names with their beloved in the same way they have bound their lives.
Oh, I understand individual reasons for making that decision. I can totally see why, for instance, someone else who had the kind of relationship with their father that I did would take the chance to get rid of the shared surname. It's the overall trend I find a bit boggling.
-
I got married, and then had a child. Not with the guy I was technically still married to, of course, but nevertheless I did everything in the right order.
also frankly bemused by the spectacle of women adopting their husband’s surname
I don't understand this. That doesn't mean I condemn it, or that in the least I think women shouldn't be doing it, I just don't understand it. At least now it must be a conscious decision, and not something that's just "what you do". I never for an instant considered changing my name when I got married, and the only person to raise the idea was my mother-in-law. But then, my partner's surname was McGeechie.
-
Southerly: Getting There is Half the Fun, in reply to Russell Brown,
But in the five minutes I had for shopping, I bought her a book by Julie Burchill. It seemed to help.
I... can't... even... What?
I do have to ask, you and Jen are both intelligent, you’ve both heard other peoples travel stories, what made you think 55 hours non-stop was feasible?
This is making me feel so good about our scheduled return journey from Amman...
-
Southerly: Now I Am Permitted, in reply to BenWilson,
“more complicated than that”.
The last time this Amusing Error arose, when a Prominent Christchurchian described us as a "talented family", what I said was, "We're not... *sigh*." What my brain suggested was, "You think I'm good, you should see his other wife."
-
Oh dear. Oh dear.
Emma Hart: [Emphatically]: That. Man. Is. Not. My. Husband.
I did pretty much say exactly that. It was not, I hasten to add, because of cumulative annoyance at the way David and I are unceasingly mistaken for a married couple, but because I had pretty much reached the 'slapping' stage of exasperation with Mr "That Was Already Like That".
We were lucky. One of the ways in which we were lucky was that we had our repairs done a bit under a year ago, before a few rule changes. My daughter's teacher is out of her house for repairs. The contractors did two days work on the job - enough to pull the house apart - and then walked off the job and haven't been back in the last three weeks. Not only that, but in a move quite typical of Chch Surrealism, they now deny ever having been there. Meanwhile, she's reaching the end of her agreed time to be out of the house, and her insurance company won't extend her accommodation payments.
I hate ants.
-
I feel compelled to add, because I've been buzzed about this all day, Jacqueline Carey found this column and linked to it on Facebook. Jacqueline Carey. I have, basically, peaked.
-
Up Front: Somebody Think of the Young Adults!, in reply to Roger,
Had a 7th form English teacher (in the mid 70s) who put both Portnoy’s Complaint and Justine on the reading list….
Justine? Justine was all but banned back then - under academic restriction. How'd he even get copies?
-
I think English teachers rely on a whole bunch of people having heard of books like 1984, so assuming they're "worthy", but never having read them. And it's good for your kids to be reading Worthy Books.
-
Christchurch Libraries have posted this:
To uphold the principle of intellectual freedom, the Library attempts to supply a balanced collection containing varying viewpoints on controversial issues. Material will not be suppressed or removed simply because it gives offence. While recognising the right of the individual to reject material, this should not diminish the overall breadth of the collection for other customers.
To which I can only say, Fucking Oath.
Is it a book that you would even wish your husband, or, even, your servants to read?
My Help has time to read? Obviously I am doing something wrong.