Update on Mrs Hyde...

So... I'm still angry about my students' behaviour, but it's a cold anger now. The Vesuvius has mutated.

Today was interesting.

As I informed today's batch of students that discipline wasn't "just" a word in the dictionary and that everything in my own rules (they got a copy of them at the start of the semester) would be enforced, a few of them looked profoundly lost (one still hasn't understood what's going on - yes, people, it's that bad).

One pointed out that she didn't want to imagine what the others had done to annoy me so much, and another one told me that in years, he'd never seen me be that angry and the situation was quite a surprise. 

Ah!

Apparently, they're more used to my quiet, kind and peaceful side, but a dose of Mrs Hyde can't hurt them (not the good, obedient ones, at least. The others.......... *cough*).

Giving an Inch?

Well, I'm done giving an inch, because of a "last straw" situation that exploded today because of people who keep taking a mile, or ten.

Oh, I'd love being like H.H. the Dalai Lama, but I'm not. Obviously.

Yes, I like it when everything's smooth and I don't have to bark at people, but things have been nutty and barmy these past few weeks, and I'm too exhausted to keep trying being nice.

The main pains in the... neck are a handful of students.

Most of them are nice. A few are delightful. A few have been raised by rabid gremlins with no social graces whatsoever.

Just today, I caught two students playing ping-pong texts right in front of me. When I asked the culprits what was so important (the rest of the class could see how furious I was - coz I was), the most annoying of the two answered that they had to share important things (Riiiight. Tiny lil' problem: mobiles are forbidden in my classroom, and they know it - well, to be honest, they should know it, but I'm not convinced that their brains are all there, so... you know). Important things? *snort* Whatever.

When I added that I'm not blind, the same culprit was all surprised. [Note to all students: most teachers may be older than you, but that doesn't mean that they're senile. Or blind. Or stupid. Or gullible. Thank you.]

It made them laugh that I scolded them. Lovely.

Oh, and earlier, they'd branded me a Scrooge because I refused to lend a piece of equipment (that I would need in the next five minutes) to a student I'd never seen before, and who was in Merlin knows which classroom. The visiting student was less annoying than mine, who refused to understand that my "No!" was final.

I could say that I'd like a word with their parents, but perhaps the poor parents aren't guilty and aren't to blame for the behaviour of their offspring.

Of course, I'm dealing with (so-called) young adults, but they can't be bothered to respect that I'm the one in charge.

Now, I'm just one teacher attempting to give them lessons in something that they view as minor, boring, and uninteresting.

I blame their head teachers, who see them once in a blue moon (and thus leave them all alone to their own devices), who tell them to treat them like friends (Probably because they want to pretend to be cool and so close to their young-ish students... Bloody hell! Since when did I give the students permission to be so buddy-buddy with me? Oh, wait! That would be never!), and who keep telling them that my class is useless.

I'm boiling.

Usually, I find quiet again once I get home, but not this time - hence the "last straw" situation.

I feel a Vesuvius coming up, and it won't be pretty.

I've tried explaining things nicely. I've been patient...

... I've had enough.

In years of teaching (not saying how many, but I didn't start two years ago), this is the first time that students manage to anger me this much - and that I keep being angry outside of my classroom!

The poor lil' bunnies are going to be all surprised, but life's freeking too short, and I'm not going to let them drive me nuts (I've got colleagues for that).

Time to get the rolling pin out and crack the whip - but I bloody shouldn't have to do that!

To paraphrase the great Dr Leonard H. McCoy: I'm a teacher, not a copper. And I'm not their mother.

[Recipe] De Lanor Pie

If this looks like something you know (because you're Italian or from the south of France), you probably know it.

Someone (who deserves to fade into oblivion) gave me the recipe, and I added a few things, making it my own. And so, this is a de Lanor pie. 

You'll need:

* 2 (big, but not giant) courgettes

* 1 big leek

* 5 small-ish potatoes

* 1 onion

* 200gr pâte brisée (or shortcrust pastry)

* oil

* salt

* freshly ground pepper

* Cayenne pepper

* Worcestershire sauce

These proportions are for my (23x23cm) square glazed clay dish. You might have to adapt a few things.

1 - Peel the potatoes, cut them into small cubes, put them into a pot with water on the stove and when they boil, add some salt. Softly boil until cooked, but make sure they're not too soft. Don't drain them just yet.

2 - Cut and slice the onion. Add to a pan, pour some oil (just a little bit) and sauté the onion on medium-high heat.

3 - Cut the leek in two (use as much green as possible) and slice it as thinly as possible. Add to the pan and stir.

4 - Cut the courgettes lengthwise in four or six without peeling them, and slice them as thinly as possible. Add them to the pan and stir. Add salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste. When the courgettes are soft, drain the potatoes, add them to the pan and stir for a couple of minutes.

5 - Cover the clay dish with a thin layer of pâte brisée. Add the vegetables (be careful: if the courgettes give out too much water during cooking, get rid of the liquid with a spoon before adding the vegetables onto the dough).

6 - Roll out the remaining pâte brisée to the same thickness and cut it to fit as lid on the pie. You'll have extra bits of dough; use that to decorate the lid. Use a fork to make small holes (and a few pretty patterns, as well).

7 - Put the dish in the oven (mine goes from 1 to 10, and I set it to 7 for this).
In 20 to 30 minutes, when you get a nice golden crust, your pie is ready.

Bon appétit !

[Recipe] De Lanor Pasta Sauce #3

Here's another recipe. It makes enough sauce for three servings  - but I don't like my pasta drowned in sauce (freezes well).

You'll need:

* 3 big tomatoes

* 2 small sweet peppers (different colours are fun on a plate; you could even use green, red, yellow and orange sweet peppers and freeze the sweet peppers you won't use, or use more tomatoes and make more sauce)

* 2 small, very fresh peppers (one hot red, the other green - for fun)

* salt

1 - Dice the tomatoes and put them into a pan over medium-high heat.

2 - Cut and deseed the sweet peppers. Thinly dice them, and add them into the pan. Stir regularly.

3 - Cut and deseed the peppers (friendly note: even after washing your hands thoroughly, you'll have the "pepper fire" on your fingers - do not lick your fingers or touch your eyes). Thinly dice them, and add them into the pan. Stir regularly and add some salt.

When the tomatoes have mostly melted, your sauce is ready:

A Form of Quick Curry

Awful mediaeval pun? Check.

 When I say quick, I mean quick, but then again, I admit that I use Japanese curry cubes (Viva Chinatown!).

You'll need:
* 800gr cooked potatoes
* 1 big onion
* 250 gr chicken breast
* oil
* 120gr curry cubes. I use this:

* water

1 - Cut the chicken into cubes. Cut the onion in two and slice it. Cut the potatoes in four or six.

2 - Put some oil in a pan, and lightly brown the onion. Add the chicken and cook it thoroughly. Add the potatoes when that's done.

3 - Cover the mix with water and add the curry cubes. Stir constantly, and add water if needed. When the curry's fully melted, dinner's ready:

[Recipe] De Lanor Pasta Sauce #1 (and #2)

I've decided to share a few sauce recipes with you... ;)

I turned this into pasta sauce, but it was initially supposed to be a dish on its own.

It works extremely well as a sauce.

Pasta sauce #1:

You'll need:

* 3 turkey (or chicken) breasts

* 150gr small smoked bacon dice

* 50 cl crème fraiche

* 1 small yellow onion

* 20gr green peppers in vinegar

* some oil

1 - Cut the breasts in long, thin slices. Cut the onion in two and slice it as thinly as possible.

2 - In a pan, pour some oil and fry the onion a bit, then add the turkey. When the turkey's fried nicely, add the bacon until it's crisp. Add the cream, and then the drained peppers. The sauce is ready in about two minutes.

Make some pasta, and... Enjoy!

Pasta sauce #2:

Do exactly the same, but cut the turkey into small cubes and do not add green pepper.

Am I a Dinosaur or a Mutant?

Odd question, isn't it (though by now you know how I blog)?

This is because of my checking my students' assignments for this semester. I asked them to do something short (one A4 page, MLA rules - if possible, but at least spellchecked, and the text being justified) on an assigned topic. They had over two months to do that (yes, I did give them a <insert fake whimper here> deadline that was final).

And so, I'm checking everything now...

A few handed their assignments in early.

Most waited for the last minute, almost literally.

Amongst the assignments I got, most weren't spellchecked (because that's oh-so-hard??), and quite a lot weren't justified... Oh, and two weren't printed, but handwritten - and not on the assigned topic (yes, I'm going to read the riot act to the two culprits; that may not kick-start their three brain cells, but that'll make me feel better, because I'm fed up with them not listening to what I say).

They're not toddlers! I'm dealing with (so-called) young adults, but they're so mollycoddled where I work that they think they'll get away with everything (and some do by wearing my colleagues down).

I know that things change... I know. But hell, when I was given instructions by my teachers (and that wasn't back in the Middle Ages!), I did follow them, because they were a part of what I had to do in order to pass an exam.

Hence my question: am I a dinosaur or a mutant? Am I amongst the last people to pay attention and follow instructions or is there just something wrong with my DNA? All right, being borderline OCD probably comes into the frame somewhere, but not that much (and my own mates followed instructions, too, so...).

I'm not a brainless drone who obeys orders blindly, but I do follow reasonable guidelines, indeed, and I do wonder why it's so hard for my ESL students to listen to me.

Then again, their other teachers keep telling them that languages are useless (the first to have the guts to say so to my face will lose a kneecap), and a few of them come to class just to sign the attendance sheet (I've caught a few with no paper and no pen whatsoever - they're just physically present, but they're certainly daydreaming right in front of me).

I know that being a teacher means that you've got to be a good parrot repeating things over and over again, but this phenomenon has reached ridiculous proportions with my current students.

Even though I keep telling them that most employers, outside, in the real world, would flay them if they behaved that way at work, they don't seem to believe me - or care... Then again, if they end up working for people like my disparaging colleagues, perhaps they will find jobs (at least until they meet a "dinosaur" client who will stop doing business with them after just one glitch).

I love my students, and I really wish they'd pay attention. I don't know everything, but I've got darn good tips about the jungle usually called "world of work".

If they're the new species, this lil' dinosaur is happy to be the way she is... What kind of future will they have?

Oh, wait! I'm probably somehow an "ant" to their being "cicadas" (the La Fontaine way, I mean). It's going to be tough to show them that their careless bohemian ways could be damaging, and that they could still have fun and plan for the future, but this stubborn little ant shall try.

One pre-"winter" riot act reading coming up...

Even Valentino Didn't Make Me Stop (May Contain References to 'The Sheik')

Yes. Yes, I'm talking about Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla, the man more commonly known as Rudolph Valentino.

Out of curiosity, I decided to watch The Sheik, because I haven't seen many long feature silent films and because I'd never seen anything with Valentino.

I'll admit that I picked The Sheik because I knew the title, and it was the first I located on the Internet.

So, I watched it.

I'd forgotten how much silent movie actors and actresses would have been awesome if they'd been cast as Vulcan characters: there's a whole "eyebrow moves" code there!

My nan liked silent movies, and I remember watching quite a few (shortish ones) with her when I was a little girl. Most of the ones I did watch then were five to twenty minutes long and they were comedies.

The Sheik is somewhat dated: it's full of cultural stereotypes about the Arab culture and tribes, and it's quite sexist, but there are good bits.

The central love story works (it's even somehow disturbing to see that the secretly gentlemanly "savage" being taught how to be a good man by a "civilised" lady has been recycled since then: Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932) or even, up to a point The Mummy (1999); it still works in the minds of producers who have writers re-inventing the cliché).

And I can see why Valentino had so much success. He's graceful (the dancer shows through the sheik character) and he's far from being bad looking (understatement of the week).

For such an old film, it's rather good, and I'm glad I watched it.

Now... one of my jobs is to read scripts. Today, I cannot watch a film (or a series) without finding plot holes and continuity goofs (Mother has even taken to ask me to kindly shut up and stop over-analysing plots whilst we watch things together, but then again, I tend to yell 'Procedure!' at the screen when CSIs or police officers touch things without gloves and move things before taking a picture of the scene - it's just telly... I know). And so, as I was watching The Sheik, I did spot a continuity goof, and I sighed and thought 'it's a habit that comes from the job'.

It's become such a second nature that I feel like a sniffer dog with a talent for spotting plot holes and goofs. It's odd, but I got used to it - if not Mother.

On the Lack of Canon Slash

*points at prior post*

*whimpers*

*curls into foetal position*

T'was too good to be true, and the slash twist got twisted:

Spoiler (highlight the next line):

It got the Pam Ewing treatment: Bénédicte (José's wife) was having a massive nightmare.

By the way, that was a cheap trick... but still probably tongue in cheek, and... last week's episode was shot, so I'll keep drooling on that. 

I've seen many people call last Sunday's episode the "UFO" episode, but I loved it.

Well, the trick worked because I'll keep watching the series, but it would have been so nice to have canon slash in a big SitCom. *sigh*

It wasn't about a character dating a Martian. It was about two (male) friends falling in love, and I needed a dose of slash, and those two were too darn cute.

Well, I'll write my own canon slash.

So there!

Anatomy of a (Brilliant) Slash Twist

Fair warning: this is a happy post about a sitcom that's just made me very happy. Doesn't contain a single growl. Enjoy!

Things can be funny sometimes.

All it took was my checking the TV listings from a website for my mother, and I spotted a piece of "news" on the sidebar. And it caught my eye.

Of course, it was meant to be shocking, and I usually avoid that kind of tabloid stuff like a mix of the Plague and the Ebola virus. But not this time.

It's about a sitcom that's currently broadcasting (they're on Series 5), but it's the champion of spin-offs (I think).

I'm not going to pretend that I grew up with these series, but I did manage to watch most of them.

It all started with the sitcom Salut les Musclés (I couldn't find interesting links in English... Sorry!), which begot a spin-off, Premiers baisers, which begot a spin-off, Hélène et les garçons (oh, look! This one has a page in English), and this one was followed by three related series with (nearly) the same group of characters in Le miracle de l'amour (Miracle of Love), Les vacances de l'amour (Holidays of Love), and currently Les mystères de l'amour (Mysteries of Love).

I was still reading when I watched the first three series, and then I started working, and for years I had demented schedules (No, really barmy hours. Seriously.), and then I missed most of the three series after Hélène et les garçons.

I was vaguely aware that Les mystères de l'amour was on one of the channels I can get through my amazing Internet provider, but until last weekend, I'd completely forgotten to give it a try and watch it. It's on on Saturdays and Sundays, and... let's face it, I recover from my classes on Saturdays and plan the details of my classes on Sundays.

*completely, utterly, irremediably fake gasp* I was being a responsible adult.

Well.

I noticed, by accident, one TV guide article. I clicked the link - this link - and I knew after watching the video on that page (by the way, I hope there's no geographical thingy on the video, because that's always annoying when that happens, and I really hope it can be watched outside of Europe!) that I'd be tuning in to watch that episode, because of the massive plot twist in it.

Since I read that page, I've been doing some catching up about the plots, and I discovered that critics have been rather nasty about the various series because they found them not realistic enough. Yea... because a SitCom is supposed to be realistic (honestly, what are these people smoking? The very bad lawn?). If I want pseudo-realistic, I'll watch a documentary - and even then, it's never realistic.

These series are fun, and this is what I found - and I'm finding again - in them.

I've read comments (on the TV guide page) that complained that the twist ruined the series, and some even say they'll stop watching.

I'll start watching again. I did last Sunday, and now I want to know where that plot twist is going to go.

What plot twist? Two of the male characters, who have been friends for twenty years, start a relationship (one has just been nastily dumped by his long time girlfriend, whilst the other is having a rocky relationship with his wife).

Now, yes, I'm a fan of slash relationships, but as I watched the episode where everything changed, I just kept thinking about real life where 'stuff happens' (I swear, that was my mantra throughout the episode). I have honestly seen weirder things happen in real life.

First, this plot twist makes me think of another series I love: Bob & Rose (and its creator said that the plot was inspired, if loosely, by the life of a friend of his).

It's about love, for Merlin's sake! It's not about a gay man falling in love with a woman or about two Casanovas falling in love after twenty-odd years of friendship. It's not about wondering how a gay character can marry a woman and still be gay, and it's not about, as I've seen some people wonder (because they're missing the plot about gay lovemaking and they use stereotypes and outdated clichés that show us how badly we still need accurate Sex Ed!) who is being the "woman" in the newly-formed couple. Repeat after me: it's all about love (sex is great, but it's secondary)... and friendship doesn't hurt either.

The writer and producers of this series wanted to have a gay couple amongst their characters (in the comments, one bloke suggested a lesbian couple, as it would have been more realistic - for a wank marathon, perhaps), and even if I'm just one gal watching it, I'm glad they chose two of the main characters (not only because the two gentlemen are extremely handsome!).

I was on board the moment I saw the snippet, because it's well-written, and it's funny, and very well acted.

Messieurs Jean-François Porry (the writer... Well, one of the creator's pseudonyms), Patrick Puydebat (playing Nicolas) and Philippe Vasseur (playing José) will probably never hear of this blog post, but I'd like to thank them for a wonderful episode and a brilliant twist.

This episode made my day... and that's the goal of telly, isn't it?

Allow me to decipher the twist, if I may.

If you don't want SPOILERS, stop reading this, and go leave a comment. Cheers!

The full episode can be found on the net... go look for it...

So... Let's focus on the boys.

Scene 1: 

Nicolas's feeling blue, and José comes to check on his friend in the garden.

We discover that José's had an argument with his wife for quite a silly reason.

Nicolas is really shaken (he even declares that he's done with women), and José reminds him that his friends are here for him - that he's here for him.

They hug... and they suddenly both have looks that tell us 'There's something odd; something different's happening', but they do not jump apart; they keep hugging.

After all, they have been best friends for twenty years.

Scene 2:

Our dear boys have decided to plant a small tree (probably part bonding male ritual and part 'let's help Nicolas forget about his being dumped' kind of exercise).

José's wife finds the location of the tree ridiculous, and they have another argument (it's not a good sign when people argue about trifles).

Nicolas tries to be a diplomat for a moment, but José stands his ground, which prompts his wife, Bénédicte (Laure Guibert), to announce that she's leaving.

Our boys agree that women are too complicated and decide to go out for a walk (the poor tree isn't fully planted - I know blokes who'd do that).

Scene 3:

They've made it to the village café, and they end up agreeing that only male friendship is worth their time (after complimenting each other on their respective good looks... they do have a point there).

José takes Nicolas's hand, and even though they do trade a brief look that reads 'What the heck is going on between us right now, oh, please, God, help me see the light?', they still don't run away screaming.

Something's about to explode (but I swear I've seen barmier stuff in real life!).

Scene 4:

Back in the garden, they've moved the tree: Nicolas doesn't want his best friend to have another argument with his wife, but José's bothered that they did as she wanted.

Bénédicte, who's going to the village with Hélène (Hélène Rollès) and Olga (Macha Polikarpova), gloats that she was right. That doesn't go too well with José, but Nicolas prevents his friend from reacting too harshly. However, José really sounds as if he's reached a point where he feels that his wife is a source of complete negativity.

They head home to take a shower.

Scene 5:

Nicolas, half-naked on his bed, is thinking about his ex-girlfriend (flashback sequence!). José joins him in a lovely bathrobe.

Nico's feeling terribly blue, and José tries to cheer him up again. Nico repositions himself to lean against his best friend, and he's very moved when he states that José's always here for him ('T'es toujours là, toi. J'te remercie, ma poule!'), which prompts José to answer that he'd do anything to make Nico happy ('Tu sais, j'ferais n'importe quoi pour que tu sois heureux').

Fasten your seat-belts, slash twist in a few seconds...

Nico assures him that he knows that, and after turning to look at his friend, he states that he's irreplaceable.

And then... José dives onto his friend's lips and... José/Nico! All right, Nico squeaks a bit, but he instantly wraps his arms around José.

Scene 6: 

This one is pure genius (give the writer a cookie and a hug!!).

Our boys appear to be naked in bed, and Nico's head's on José's belly. It's not quantum physics, but... they did it.

Tongue-in-cheek (or with the Neanderthals in the audience in mind), our two characters do state that they did it - this can work to show their own surprise at that twist in their lives and their friendship.

They agree that it was brilliant, and that they've never felt anything this strong with any woman before. They don't regret a thing, but they look a tad surprised (plausible, indeed!).

The first stroke of genius in this scene comes with Nicolas.

Nicolas: (frowning) However I feel some pain in the (he moves his left arm towards his nether regions in order to fool the cliché-afficionados) knee, right behind it. I must have made some awkward move / Par contre, j'ai un petit peu mal au... genou, là, derrière. J'ai dû faire un faux mouvement.

That tiny detail made me laugh quite heartily - at the expense of the fans of clichés.

Then, José goes on to state that, now, they're gay; Nicolas answers that their making love doesn't mean they're gay: it's about feelings and being friends.

José, with a small smile, points out that they've got to be extraordinary friends for sharing what they've just shared.

Before we can get a word from Nicolas on the topic, they're interrupted by Hélène shouting that lunch will be ready soon.

Nicolas shouts back that they'll join them all soon; this takes two tries as he deepens his voice in order to make it sound more masculine, which José seems to find both adorable and ridiculous (cherry on that cake, Nico seems to wonder where that bit of silliness came from).

José suggests that they be careful so that the ladies won't suspect a thing, and Nico points out that no one would ever suspect such a barmy twist - and José nods to agree.

Scene 7:

They've got dressed - almost identically, which amuses them (and that's cute, because it's a tiny hint that, yes, they tend to be on the same wave length).

Incidentally, their story collides with a secondary plot that sees two other characters cheating on their companions, which is another sign for José and Nico that they're better together.

Scene 8:

Lunch scene on the patio.

Nico's sitting next to José, and all their friends encourage José and Bénédicte to make peace.

When she kisses him, José rushes back inside, obviously needing to worship the Porcelain God. Nico's the one who runs after him.

Still tongue (firmly, I believe) in cheek, one of their friends says that José's not really gay these days (yea, silly pun, but it works).

Scene 9:

They're in the bathroom after José's offering to the Porcelain God. He explains that he's in trouble because he's now completely disgusted if his wife tries to kiss him, and that's going to be a major issue at night because she's quite snuggly under the covers.

When Nico suggests him to find a trick, José come up with the idea of pretending that Nico's still feeling blue in order to stay with him. He'll pretend to cheer him up as they explore their new relationship.

After a bit of 'Are you sure this is really what you want?' from both men, they agree to spend the whole night together.

They share two more kisses (lips and cheek), and their alleged clumsiness and eagerness sold me the plot a bit more (they've got to hide their feelings from their friends, they need to understand what's just happened to them, and... they're in love and want more).

Incidentally, we have Olga (a more recent addition in the group of friends; someone who hasn't known them for twenty years) who notices the new dynamics between Nicolas and José, but Hélène and Bénédicte dismiss her warning, because that's just impossible.

Scene 10:

The next morning - and Nico has been watching José sleep for fifteen minutes when the latter finally wakes up.

They still don't regret a thing. José's even so sure of his feelings that he's planning to tell his wife everything.

'No, but wait, what are you going to tell her?' (Non, mais attend, qu'est-ce que tu vas lui dire ?) Nico inquires.

'That I no longer love her, that I love you, and that we're going to build our future together,' (Que j'l'aime plus, que j't'aime toi et qu'on va faire not' vie ensemble), José answers.

'Isn't it too soon?' (C'est pas un peu tôt, non ?) Nico wonders, frowning.

'What is it? Aren't you sure of your feelings?' (Quest-ce qu'i'a, t'es pas sûr de tes sentiments ?) José asks, worried.

'Absolutely not, that's not it, quite the conrary! Not at all, but, erm... you know, we should do things step by step,' (Ah, non, non, c'est pas ça, au contraire ! Pas du tout, mais, heu... c'est comme tout... Faut y aller progressivement) Nico explains.

'Yes, but what do we do then? Do we come out or not?' (Oui, mais on fait quoi, alors? On le dit ou on le dit pas ?) José asks.

'Well, look, I've got an idea: I'm going to confide in Hélène. We're not together. She's my best friend, not my girlfriend. We'll see how she reacts. If she's sick or she faints, well, we'll know it's too soon to come out,' (Bah, écoute, j'ai une idée : je vais en parler à Hélène. On n'est pas ensemble. C'est ma meilleure amie, c'est pas ma copine. On verra sa réaction. Si elle vomit ou elle s'évanouit, bah, c'est que c'est pas la bon moment.) Nicolas suggests.

'Yep, you're right, and it's better than telling Béné straight away. [slight pause+smile] That's another reason for me to be in love with you: you always have the best ideas,' (Ouais, t'as raison, c'est mieux que de le dire directement à Béné. C'est aussi pour ça que je t'aime, parce que t'as toujours de bonnes idées.) José states.

'Well, careful or I'll end up believing you,' (Um, fais gaffe, j'vais t'croire) Nico concludes.

Scene 11:

The mother of all twists!!!

As Nico is about to come out, Hélène tells him that she knows. She knows that he's over his ex-girlfriend (she's not wrong on that one), and that he's realized what his true feelings are (still not wrong - sort of).

Then she tells him that she's still in love with him (always have, always will) and she proceeds to kiss him... no arm wrapping around her this time, in spite of their past love story.

Of course, José arrives right then and fears that his lover took advantage of him and betrayed his heart.

They start fighting and... cliffhanger!

All the critics (and member of the audience!) can say anything they want. I loved it, and I'm planning to watch the next episode, and if José and Nico really stay together, I'll arrange my schedule to keep watching (for a ton of reasons, and the list would be too long here).

The title is Mysteries of Love, and yes! Love can be barmy, too - on television and in real life.

ps: Is it next Saturday yet?

pps: I'm suddenly wondering if there are fanfics for this fandom... *Disapparates to investigate*

ppps: Nephir, thanks for encouraging me to blog, this was fun! ;)

Shut Up, Never Speak Your Mind, and Just Do Your Job. That's an Order.

If I were a cat, I'd be dead (silly reference to the proverb, nothing literal).

The thing is... I did click the link. This link. Oh, yes, I did - and now, I'm annoyed and growling (that should teach me to not read so many things, but... I'm not going to change).

I'd completely missed the Coogan/Mitchell thingy, and there's something about Brand that made me avoid what he had to say (in written form, and in video with Paxman)... but I read Webb's open letter, and I liked it.

I'll admit that the title of the anti-open letter open letter intrigued me, and I did read it. Usually, the rich style would have made me happy, but several things are bothering me... deeply.

In no particular order, there's the fact that the idea of an open letter is presented as if it were something old-fashioned (how many hints about an imaginary 18th century? I didn't count, but that made me growl). 

The open letter is presented as a selfish exercise that should be limited to a regular letter sent to the intended recipient, not shown to the entire world. The targeted comedians are basically asked to limit themselves to their day job; they shouldn't show the entire world what they think of their colleagues (written in sarc font: how dare they?).

Another thing that bothers me is that comments were off "for legal reasons" on that blog entry. Ah. Okay... I seldom comment directly on newspaper webpages, or blog pages (because I don't want to create an account for that and I won't surrender my Twitter info to complete strangers - been there, blogged about it), but the fact that the rest of the world was barred from commenting on the words of someone who wants comedians to abstain from writing open letters to one another sounds ironic, in quite a not comical way - at least, to me it does sound ironic.

Then, because I was still in cat mode, I had a look at what people were tweeting on the topic, and I mostly found them praising the writer for telling comedians to shut up and be funny ('just that, no more, nothing else, we don't want to hear a thing about anything you might have to say that's unrelated to your comedian job').

I may have been living in a cave on that one, but this is the first thing I've read from this particular writer (I can't know everybody and read everything, now, can I?). I may be highly unfair to someone who seems to be appreciated by many people (the tweets about this entry were singing her praise), but I'm still deeply bothered.

There's the urge to make fun of comedians who want to speak their minds outside of their day job.

There's the will to silence them.

There's the desire to limit the interactions they, as comedians, are allowed to have. And this is a bit rich if we consider that tabloid quill-pushers (see, anyone can use old-fashioned images for whatever purpose) will comb through people's dustbins and bug their phones in order to get info to print in their fishwrappers, which people will eagerly buy because they want to read about the private lives of famous people. However, if famous people provide us with a piece of their minds, they're usually invited to shut up.

Well, I don't see why they should shut up. Everybody's allowed to speak his or her mind, and telling comedians or actors/actresses that they have to shut up is unfair, and it's not that complicated to throw the newspaper away or close the webpage.

We don't have to listen to everybody, but everybody can make a declaration (whether it's interesting or not).

Last, but perhaps not least, I find it quite ironical to complain about open letters in what looks a lot like an open letter, on which the audience cannot comment directly. 

Of course I get the 'let's cover ourselves legally by preventing a flame war in the comments section', and I do understand that this is not strictly an open letter because this particular writer was paid to type that page, whilst I guess/imagine that most of the other open letter writers mainly got the satisfaction to get their answer/comment/whatever published (or maybe they get paid, but I can't seriously be bothered to care about that detail - really).

For fun, I hope Mitchell and Webb will co-write an open letter in response to that 'comedians, be quiet' page. I'd happily read that - because I would choose to read that, and I would certainly enjoy what they'd have to say.

It's not difficult for readers to make choices, and................

Oh, sweet Merlin! <genuine epiphany alert> I've just realized why that work made me so angry: this feels like bullying-light somehow (maybe not the intention, but this is how I read it, and that's why I'm so bothered).

Part of the mystery solved. Now... to get more people to agree that everybody's got the right to write and everybody's got the right to ignore some writing and select what they'll read. Oof! Not out of the wood on that one either...

Note to self: practise more selective clicking.

Trust (When NOT in Japan)

Perhaps I was awfully lucky whilst in Japan (that's possible), but if asked to name the best Japanese thing, I would probably say that it's the way you can trust people to not mug you, betray you or be generally nasty.

Japan is a place where I saw people leave their wallets and mobiles unattended for a minute in shops and not be stolen. It's also the place where a charming lady found the scarf I'd just lost on temple grounds, and she went hunting for the owner of the scarf (I still have that scarf, thanks to that lady).

The entire country and the entire population isn't perfect, but that particular point is really awesome.

Today, I tried to trust someone the Japanese way, but I hope it's not going to come bite me... somewhere painful (but, yea... this post is a security of some sort because we're not in Japan).

The thing is, we've got passes to get our classroom keys in my college, and when we give the key back, we need our pass in order to open the door of the thingy where the keys are stored.

Tonight, the generally charming bloke who usually takes my key back was not in the mood to get up, and he told me he'd get my key back in storage soon. I trusted him, but if there's any problem with the key, I'll slap him. Literally.

I hope I won't have to growl, and I hope I was right to trust him...

*fingers crossed I won't have to update this post*

[Recipe] Sweetcorn Soup

Yes, it's not winter yet, but since the temps dropped so much, I'm sharing one of my favourite soups with you (and it doesn't take too long to make, which is a bonus).

You'll need:

* 400 g potatoes (confession time, I can't be bothered to weigh my ingredients these days, so I just choose four really big potatoes - the pink ones, they're fantastic in this)

* 150 g sweetcorn (I usually snatch a medium-size can)

* 1 small(ish) red sweet pepper 

* 1 leek (a big one)

* 1 big onion

* 2 cloves of garlic

* some oil

* 20 cl of crème fraiche

* 1 bay leaf

* salt & pepper

* 3/4 l water

1 - Finely cut the cloves, onion and leek and put them into a big pot. Add some oil (I favour olive oil, but use whatever you prefer to gently brown that kind of vegetables) and put the pot on medium heat.

If you can work on the other vegetables near your stove, you can add them the one after the other and it saves up to ten minutes (yes, I usually do this soup when I'm super hungry, and time is important. Why?).

2 - Whilst the first vegetables are very gently browning, cut the sweet pepper into small cubes (or whatever shape you'd like in your plate in the end; there's no rule, just suggestions).

You've got to stir that a bit. I like my onion and leek soft, but my sweet pepper still a tad crunchy. Add some salt.

3 - Next, peel (or not!) the potatoes and cut them into small cubes (or close enough), and add them to the mix.

4 - Stir the mix a bit, and then add the water. Add some more salt if need be, add pepper and the bay leaf.

Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer for thirty minutes.

5 - Drain the sweetcorn, and add it to the mix:

Stir for 3 or 4 minutes:

(we could play "where's the bay leaf?" with these photos...)

6 - Last step, add the crème fraiche and stir:

(Houston, I can see the leaf!)

7 - Enjoy!

Yahoo!! (Bad Neo, Bad Marketing, Erratic Customer Care, and How to Create an Account WITHOUT a Mobile)

All right, I'm a tad afraid to jinx things for others, who may need a way around Yahelldemort's latest act of utter silliness, but it may work for a few (or they won't even bother to change things, which is entirely possible).

It all started when I hopped by a Yahoo group where I was made a Mod, and I realized that the page was all wrong.

The reason? A thing called Neo that hundreds of thousands of people are hating with a passion, but that the Yahell bots and minions are defending as if their lives depended on its promotion and success.

Let's face it, like Windows8 (from A to Z, Microthingy boys), like Windows7's so-called impossibility to disable auto-arrange in Explorer (there's a crack for that, guys - just like one was made for 8 when it came out, because people who work on their computers, you know, the ones who don't just play games on them, need to have the possibility to re-arrange the icons in a way that suits them), like Google stopping to allow us to personalize the welcome page of their search engine, like............ Like sooooo many things, this is a failure.

A FAILURE (apparently, working for companies like that make you a bit deaf. Emphasis is badly needed).

Neo is unpractical, and the hours of personalization that went into our groups are down the drain - all that for teenagers who are fans of FaceBook or adults who are IT incompetent and just go: 'Oh, Shiny!' (plus the handful of silly bunnies who work for the offenders).

Once I realized that life as I knew it on Yahoo! was over (because just like the rest of the plonkers, they'll never admit that Neo is a failure, and they'll keep it, shouting at the world that it's good and better and... Oh! Go buy yourselves a collective brain, guys!), I started growling (yea... again. Soooorry!).

I don't like changes much.

Sudden, unexpected (sorry, not reading IT magazines at breakfast) changes... *grrr* I hate that.

After a decade of fun and friendships started, thanks to Yahoo!, that hurts.

Then, I realized that under another identity, I used to have a group that's dead, and that I thought should be put to rest.

That was how I wasted most of my Tuesday.

I tried to log in through two different browsers. Nada.

I tried to retrieve my ID (though I had it, because I archive important e-mails like passwords and IDs and changes to an account). Nothing.

I tried to get help with my password. Zilch.

After hours of testing, surfing, "Googling" (yea, I'm that stubborn), I finally realized that since I hadn't logged in in months, my ID had been de-activated and recycled.

*blink*

Dear Yahoo! How about you send a lil' reminder before doing that, um? I was silent, but I wanted to keep that ID. Ta. Muchly.

And then, a brand new circus started.

I managed (that was a bloody miracle, yea!) to find a way to send an e-mail to Customer Care.

First, let's be honest, I got a thorough answer describing what I needed to do. I was amazed and pleased.

Hold it right there, Diego!

Step 1: create a new ID... and to do that you MUST give a mobile phone number. Yep! You read that well, it's not an option. You don't have a mobile phone, you  CANNOT register (I tried giving my landline number, but Yahell saw through my trick).

So... I contacted the help site again, stating very clearly that I don't own a mobile phone, and 'Could you tell me what to do, please?'.

Answer: You need to give a mobile phone number for reason yadda, yadda, and yadda.

Me: Yep, but not the answer to my question. I don't own a mobile phone, and 'Could you tell me what to do, please?'.

Answer 2: Oh, sorry! You need to give a mobile phone number for reason yadda, yadda, and yadda. (No kidding! It'd be funny if it weren't so sad - I was this close to asking them if English was their native language!)

Me: Erm. Still don't have a mobile phone. Help (or may I go frell myself slowly in a different dimension)?

Last answer: Without a mobile phone, you can't register.

Okay. 
Thanks, guys, I'll go frell myself, but that's awful, unrealistic marketing.

What's that mobile phone thingy? Working for the NSA, intending to sell the lists in a few months when you've changed the ToS, discriminating people allergic to mobile phones or too poor to afford one?

I don't care what the answer is... but I do wonder if that's entirely legal where I'm currently parked, and I'm going to phone some government agency because I don't like being bullied... all the more since there is a way around.

Instead of creating a new account, I logged in with a Gmail address (it works with FaceBook, too, but the security issues are bigger there). I migrated the ownership of the group to my new ID and deleted the group I wanted to delete since the small hours of Tuesday very morning.

Then, I changed my Yahoo! password and deleted the account.

Voilà !

There was a way around, but the latest people who answered me didn't want to share it with me (it'd be way too scary if they don't know that way to connect without surrendering a mobile phone number!).

In a month, Yahoo! has managed to anger and disappoint a lot of people.

As I already tweeted:

- Whatever happened to 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'

- 'Too big to fail' is no longer true.

So... Who else is disappointed in "upgrades" that are bad?

Come and growl with me...

Dru Stubborn de Lanor, proud to have managed to do what she wanted to do without much help from Yahoo!

PS: worth a Plonker Award, ne?

One Version of Ratatouille

I think that, on one side of my family, we know that each family has got a different version of ratatouille: olives or no olives? Aubergine or no aubergine?

So, I'm going to give you one version (not the one from my Provençal [h]ex, the one my mamma got during a stay in the south with friends).

First, the cast:

So, you'll need:

1 onion

1 aubergine

1 big sweet pepper (or 2 small ones of different colours)

2 or 3 courgettes (it all depends on the size - I usually take the weight of the aubergine as a reference and double it)

2 or 3 tomatoes

salt

pepper

black olives - optional

1- Cut the onion (small bits, thin slices, I never do the same thing twice, so just do what you prefer when it comes to onions) and put it in a big pot with olive oil.

Cook over a low heat.

 

2- Cut the sweet pepper in small bits (once more, cut as you like your sweet peppers on your plate) and add them to the onion.

You'll probably have to add some oil.

3- Cut the aubergine (guess what? Yes! Cut it the way you like it best).

What I started doing is cutting a few round slices, for fun, and then I cut the aubergine in two and cut it in rather small bits.

Add it to the pot.

Stir a bit, and add salt and pepper then.

4- Now, it's time to turn to the courgettes.

For fun, I cut one in full, round slices:

and the rest in small bits:

Let them join their friends in the pot.

You may have to add some salt (and pepper). Check that.

5- Cut the tomatoes in somewhat smallish bits, and add them:

This is here that you should add olives if you want.

Since the moment you started with the onion, about twenty/twenty-five minutes have passed. Can I give you a cooking time? Approximately. According to the vegetables you did pick, you'll have to keep cooking your ratatouille for fifteen to twenty minutes more. Courgettes and aubergine should be your guides in this; they should be soft (and almost translucent for the round slices - they're hidden testing devices in the pot!).

It should vaguely look like this:

Bon appétit !

ps: if you're feeling bold, you can add grounded hot pepper. Yum (totally unconventional, but if one cannot experiment in the kitchen...).

Greed in Games

I've got to admit that I've never been a fan of the Olympics (not even historically speaking).

I loved visiting Olympia and had a lot of fun there with friends and my favourite teacher on school trips, but... that's it.

Recently, things have become slightly annoying. Olympics by Olympics.

I truly hadn't been paying attention until China got the Olympics, and I found myself with the Olympic flame in front of me - and blocking the bridge I needed to cross in order to go to work. By sheer luck, I managed to cross the bridge and reach my classroom, but I started paying attention to Olympic gossip.
What do I remember about the Beijing Olympics?
In my corner of the world, the Olympics nuts bullied people in town, and no one had the right to smack them in order to kick-start their brains.
In Beijing, people were evicted with practically no compensation, and people weren't allowed to protest.
Why? But in the name of the love of sports and for the love of humankind, of course! [I haven't located the Sarc font. Sorry]

Then... London! Or as we called it Londinium MMXII.
If there were things that were no surprise from the Chinese government, I was utterly disappointed when the new Olympics bully decided that no one, for whatever reason, could use the names linked to the Olympics. I particularly remember the shops that had to drop a part of the names that had been theirs for years because there was olymp-something in it.
The Olympic bullies were allowed to harass anyone who refused to comply and obey.

Now, let's move to the winter variety of the Olympics.
Next, we're getting Sochi, in Russia. Russia, where the government (ex-KGB and ex-lawyers) has decided that their poor policies needed to be hidden from the sheeple, thanks to scapegoats; and therefore, the Russian government has passed laws that discriminate against and criminalise the LGBTQ community.
Some artists who were invited to the Olympics have refused to go.
The athletes are divided.
Some people want the games to be boycotted. Others are against it.
Whilst I understand that it's properly heart-rending to not participate in something when you've been training for years, I know that I couldn't caution  the anti-human rights bullying of politicos who need a smokescreen.
As well, in this particular case, I can't help thinking that money is talking (I have no idea how much money is involved - I must have read something on the topic and forgotten everything about it - but I just bet it's a lot).
So, boycott or not boycott? Boycott!
Why? Because I cannot take the 1936 Olympics out of my mind. The world went to Germany and validated the Nazi regime.
It's no surprise that a lot of people have dubbed this one the "Nazi Olympics".
Of course, the athletes and the people from the Olympic committees all around the world, after considering a boycott, declared that sports had nothing to do with politics. <BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ!> Wrong, boys! By agreeing to go to Germany, you helped more screws get loose in Hitler's head, and that basically told him that he could bully his way to more power. Three years later: war, slaughters, death camps.
I'm not putting all the blame on the Olympics, but, bloody hell, that didn't help one bit.

A few years later, other Olympics people decided that what was going on with Apartheid in South Africa was not right, and the country was boycotted. Hurray!

Today, we're back to the square 'Let's not mix sports and politics'.
Why?
Because the Russians are not threatening the Jews, so they're not planning to kill the gays?
Chickenshit.
A scapegoat is a scapegoat, and if you don't fight for human rights now, History is going to kick you in the nuts and laugh at you whilst you roll on the ground calling for your mummy. Just saying...
No dictator (okay, the Russian boys may not be dictators yet, but, boy, how Vlad wishes he were) should be allowed to bully one minority in order to manipulate his sheeple - sorry, law-abiding citizens - to hide the holes in his politics.
1936, it was the Jews - and we all know (except denialists) how that ended.
2014, it could be the LGBTQ community next.

By solidarity with my Russian brothers and sisters, I (yes, I, tiny drop in this vast ocean) am going to boycott everything related to the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

People suggested to move the games to another, friendlier country, but I'm afraid that money talks (from the committee down to some of the athletes). Piece of news guys, when you kick the bucket, you won't take your money with you, so it all boils down to 'How do you want to be remembered?'.
It's quite easy: either you stay home in protest or you go stroke the Russian politicos' egos and you face the potential consequences. I'll help you: imagine that some dictator orders all sports to become illegal; wouldn't you like someone, abroad, with an international reputation, to defend you and your rights to do what you want? Now... Make a choice...