I've been experimenting again with Twitter. I know, I'm a decade behind, but I've learned that it's a good way to keep up on very local news and events. If you can "follow" a couple of people who are observant about what's going on in your neighborhood, you can learn a lot.
I've tried tweeting a bit -- I asked what those hay-covered cages are at the cemetery, for example -- but I didn't get any responses. Maybe because no one follows me? I tried to direct the questions to others using the @AccountName method, but maybe they still didn't see them. I did find out, though, that there was a wildlife habitats workshop at the cemetery a week or two before those cages showed up -- so I'm sure they're somehow related to that.
I also learned about the existence of this groovy cow (above) in a mews in West Hampstead. I've taken pictures there before, but that was before the cow showed up. I photographed it yesterday morning on my way to work.
I'm still ambivalent about Twitter (I deleted my seldom-used original account several years ago) and I don't think I'll be on it a whole lot, but I think it might come in handy here and there. And no, I'm not going to follow Donald Trump.
Speaking of things that make us cranky, I had the crankiest morning yesterday. It was just one of those days when everything annoyed me. We're coming up on lease renewal time for our flat, and I always get tense at about this time, imagining that we'll be evicted and have to go live somewhere else. So that was part of the problem...
...and then I snarled at a woman at work. I was trying to get coffee in the staff lounge, and a gaggle of people were standing around the machine, taking their time and chatting and not really getting coffee, so I was waiting for access. And another teacher swept in, pushed through the gaggle and set her cup on the machine. I stepped up to her and said, "I WAS WAITING" in a not very friendly voice. And then I felt terrible, thinking, "Oh, Lord, I need to work with this woman." So I walked it all back and apologized, and told her I was having a bad morning, and she let me get my coffee, and then I sent her an e-mail apologizing again and she came down to the library and we had a good laugh about it. So all's well that ended well.
But, just for the record, she did jump the queue.
I find that a good way to stop people from jumping queues is to punch them hard in the ribs. They don't make the same mistake again. I guess the owners of that cow must have bought it after a charity display event. For example, such an event took place in Madrid in 2009.
ReplyDeleteI think I like the head more than the cow, I can see this in my little garden.
ReplyDeleteWe all get those horrible days Steve, at least you made it up.
Briony
x
My fall-back when someone butts in front of me is, "What? Am I invisible?" I hope you can hear the years I spent living in New York City in that remark.
ReplyDeleteIn talking to Owen yesterday, I realized that he thought your name was Steveread. When I told him that no, your first name was Steve and your last name was Reed, he said, "Huh. Well, I guess I thought he just liked to read a lot."
ReplyDeleteI said, "Well, he is a librarian and he DOES like to read." He thought that was funny. So did I.
"When is he going to come back to visit?" he asked.
"Soon, I hope," I said.
You sure made an impression on him.
I guess everyone's on Twitter but me. And that is okay.
I have not dived into twitter. I'm a lurker on the sidelines.
ReplyDeleteI just can't seem to get into tweeting, but that's probably because I only use my iphone for music, and then talking and texting when we're on the road. I think Trump's obsession makes me dislike it even more. Rude people who cut in line need a sharp rebuke, or if you're quiet like I am just a really condescending look as if all the gods in the universe noticed and made a note of it. I'm glad you and your co-worker had a laugh about it. That's the best.
ReplyDeleteoh twitter. I have an account and I rarely just tweet anything about my life. I use it to express my annoyance at and to certain people (and no I don't follow him either but I see his tweets in tweets of people I do follow which are all mostly political figures or commentators. few people follow me. I was feeling a bit annoyed yesterday as well, mostly because I don't have the presence of mind to focus on getting ready and the work being done in the bathroom. perhaps your co-worker didn't realize there was a line what with the gaggle hanging around the coffee pot. at least it all ended well.
ReplyDeleteThat colorful cow reminds me of the ones that were all around Chicago back in the late 90's when they had a city-wide art event. I photographed a lot of them with film back then. I don't know if I still have any of those photos. I should did around in my photo box and see if I can find any.
ReplyDeleteLove that cow - and the head too now that Briony mentioned it. I'm generally a cranky annoyed person. I think the honeymoon is over at work & they're getting to see my "real" self. Hope they can handle it. Ha!
ReplyDeletewhat ellen said. most people use twitter these days to express their annoyance stepped all the way up to outage. I use it as a first line of reporting on the news, it seems to always get to twitter first, almost as if the news cycle is following twitter these days. and sometimes i use it to store articles i want to come back and read in more depth later. I'm very cranky on twitter, though, and almost every single day i consider deleting my account. but i don't because i am a bit of a news junkie, though that is very psychologically unhealthy in these times.
ReplyDeleteyou have such a sense of fairness i can imagine that woman jumping the line after you'd been patiently waiting must have been irritating. good for you for walking it back, though, especially since she stepped back graciously once you pointed out her boorishness. there are so many bigger battles these days. yesterday i could barely get out of bed, contemplating them.
i'll look for you on twitter and follow you. but the truth is, but for a few names with big followings, hardly anybody interacts with anybody else on twitter. it's all a black hole really, i think of it as howling into the void.
Twitter. The only person it's good for is The Donald. Gives him something to do with his hands and keeps his finger off the nuclear button.
ReplyDeleteI have deactivated Twitter, FB and Instagram. I think we need to all think about how these applications are shaping our world.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a Twitter account and probably never will, but there are a few that are worth reading. You might like these, purely for enjoyment:
ReplyDeleteWe Rate Dogs: https://twitter.com/dog_rates
and
Thoughts of Dog: https://twitter.com/dog_feelings
And the personal account of the twenty-something guy who owns those accounts is here:
The Dogfather: https://twitter.com/matt___nelson?lang=en
And then again, you might not like them at all - so much is personal taste.
I love the cow. I feel like making one from papier mache now :)