absent flying losing phones wearing black crying bairns

[ailbhe]

I will be absent until possibly the 13th of February. During that time I will not be regularly checking email, livejournal, google, and I have also lost my phone so I won't be checking that either.

This is because I'm taking the children to visit my mother and another friend for a while; we'll probably see at least three of my sisters while we're there. The trip involves flying; doing it by train and ferry isn't practical at this time of year because of one ferry being totally missing ("We hope to resume services when we find a new boat") and another being temporarily down for maintenance.

The trip involves flying from Heathrow.

So I won't be wearing my hiking boots, guaranteed to keep my feet, knees, hips and pelvis happy all day; I'll be wearing plain ole boots, so that I can remove them for searching. My hiking boots will be in checked baggage. I have also found three regulation-size transparent zip-lock bags and put all the carry-on fluids in them. I have a pencil case full of art materials, a wallet with our tickets and passports, and a checked bag full of clothes. Also snack foods. I'm dressing the girls in pretty red dresses because people are nicer to prettily-dressed children in stressful situations, and nicer to their parents, too.

---

Lately I've seen a lot of cyclists on footpaths and pedestrians on roads, dressed all in black, with no lights, reflective surfaces, nuffin. Some white people are pale enough that their skin shows up, but generally I spot them by the darker patch against the dark. It's very irritating when they cycle almost into me, or when I almost cycle into them. Several black-clad pedestrians in last week's rain were bloody lucky I wasn't moving as fast as the cars.

Adverts with crying babies really bother me. Who makes the babies cry? Why isn't someone cuddling them? Grr.

Comments

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Lately I've seen a lot of cyclists on footpaths and pedestrians on roads, dressed all in black, with no lights, reflective surfaces, nuffin.

Gods, yes. And I tell you what really pisses me off. Hypocritical parent cyclists. In other words, the child has a helmet, fluorescent bib, lights, flashing LED and reflectors. The parent, cycling alongside, has NONE OF THE ABOVE.

Somehow, these parents seem to think they can encourage road safety in their children by cycling at night without lights & without reflective clothing. I'm... boggled. What kind of message does that send, anyway? "Oh, you need to wear a helmet, but only until you're grown up?". Meh!

[naath.livejournal.com]

Kid heads are softer than adult heads. Cycle helmets are of no utility to the average adult; they might actually benefit children. Ergo "you need to wear a helmet, but only until you're grown up" actually makes sense.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I agree that cycle helmets are almost certainly of more use to children, but I'd disagree with the statement that they're no use at all to adults. At any rate, their precise usefulness still seems to be under discussion - as far as I'm aware, studies have been inconclusive.

[naath.livejournal.com]

Depends whose studies you believe...

I've seen fairly convincing arguments that they are of negative utility (that is that we assume they make us safer and therefore act in more dangerous ways) to some people.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Anecdotal evidence only, but the people I see taking more risks while cycling are almost always (that is, I can't remember seeing a counterexample, but I could be wrong) not wearing a helmet. The people with helmets tend to be the people who are also wearing reflective gear and obeying the highway code.

Anyway, I just wanted to note that it isn't necessarily a cut and dried issue.

[naath.livejournal.com]

Sure; which is why you get to pick whether you wear one or not for yourself. I just have this urge to shout at anyone who looks like they are trying to make laws about it...

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[ailbhe]

Not as a way to get kids to wear one, though. Kids really do need an example.

[naath.livejournal.com]

Kids have to do lots of things differently to adults though surely?

[ailbhe]

Yes, but there's very little kids have to do for their own safety that adults don't have to pay any attention to at all. I can't think of a single example, in fact. Lots of stuff adults have to do that kids don't because adults take care of it for them with physical restrictions, though.

[naath.livejournal.com]

Kids are kept away from most dangers I guess - rather than having to actively do anything about them.

[ailbhe]

Yup. Gradual and careful introduction to same is a very important part of childrearing, teaching risk assessment etc. Children think they are immortal, generally, so will take really mindlessly stupid risks.

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I'm dressing the girls in pretty red dresses because people are nicer to prettily-dressed children in stressful situations, and nicer to their parents, too.

That explains why my parents dressed us in pretty, frilly little matching dresses for our first trip overseas in an aeroplane when I was six. I always assumed it was that so if one of us got lost, they could point to the other and say "She was dressed exactly like this, except bigger/smaller."

Have a lovely trip. My best to your mother and sisters.

[rrc.livejournal.com]

Oh, its usefull for that aswell (I'm looking for a girl dressed like this but yay high instead)

Phone was found

[rrc.livejournal.com]

We found Ailbhes phone again late last night, it was actualy outside in the trike which is why we couldn't hear it rining when called until all was quiet in the house.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

What gets me is the fuckers who walk in the cycle lanes. I shouted at one pair on the way to work. Then on the way home I shouted at some more -- and it was THE SAME PEOPLE. The woman of the pair turned around and said "Oh hello, it's you!"

(YES IT'S ME NOW GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CYCLE LANE.)

I honestly don't understand people sometimes.