See? My filing system works!

Beloved often complains about my idiosyncratic methods of storing things. There’s my Big Box o’ Wires. There’s my Cupboard o’ THINGS and my Big Drawer o’ STUFF and even my File o’ Paper. There’s even the Store o’ Unopened Post.

I have mastered the art of reducing extra space by ramming things in tightly to ensure every last inch is used. And yes, my perfection of the art of quickly closing cupboard doors before everythingh inside spills out is the stuff of legends. There’s many drawers around the house growning with the pressure of the things compacted within, stretching the joints – testament to my space saving skills.

Now while my careful art of “ramming things into drawers and leaning on them until they shut” does have many many merits, Beloved points out that it can make FINDING anything that is stored somewhat erksome. I merely say he does not have my skills.

Except today I needed some paperwork.

Beloved: And where are these?

Sparky:  Carefully stored in one of those 3 drawers

Beloved: Reaaaaaly? *wrestles open a drawer – it sticks because of the papers filling it jamming*

Paperwork, freed from terrible pressure, bursts out, some of it bounding of the ceiling. A huge mass of paper fills each drawer from edge to edge, overflowing out of the top, never has so much paper been compacted into such a small space. The laws of physics have been re-written for this drawer

Beloved: And how are you supposed to find anything in that? It’s going to take you all day to find…

Sparky: There it is *pulls paper off top of the pile*

Beloved: *gapes*

Sparky: *is smug*

Vindicated people! I AM VINDICATED!

Sore and poked

I’ve been kind of raw lately, partly it’s some family ignorances, partly my work both for the firm and outside of it that are poking some sore spots and partly it’s because of confronting personal issues and trying to confront some more, and worst, only to have large parts of my mind say “aw, hell no, let that crap LIE” has generally left me feeling kind of skoojy. Not just skoojy but less… resilient.

Which also means things that poke me and normally irritate and hurt are now poking me and making me flinch and my anger (my main defence mechanism) isn’t working so well.

So yesterday, after having stepped back from the net during the day because someone’s idea of argument was to yell “queer queer queer” at me until I decided that it actually wasn’t a bad word and I would use it (as far as persuasive techniques go, this was… rather lacking) I collapsed with Beloved to watch out lovely Saturday night collection of fluff and fun.

Going Postal (good film, but doesn’t do the book justice), Silent Witness (Tom Ward, nom nom nom nom. And was a good one because while it didn‘t focus on Nikki, it also didn‘t have her harrumphing around the corners in a complete strop because people aren‘t focusing on her), Waking the Dead (the actors in that are incredible – they have such a natural rapport) and Dalziel and Pascoe (I love this programme. It’s set in Yorkshire and actually LOOKS something like Yorkshire. It’s not edge to edge GRIM, nor is it all farmers and sheep but the characters are still very Yorkshire. Also Andy rocks like a rocking thing).

And I looked with curiosity at Dalziel and Pascoe because it was an older one and focused on Wieldy. D&P usually have a token sidekick – yes it is token. The series I’ve seen have had a blond woman, a gay man and a Muslim of South Asian descent. But, while they all rather glaringly stand out as ‘equality inserts’ the characters are usually extremely well done. They’re not stereotypes, they’re police officers who do their job, they’re effective, they have personalities and I generally like them.

So I was surprised at an episode that focused more on Wield, a gay man. And then we had the new Assistant Chief Constable. Who keeps a Bible on his desk. And is concerned about the “morality” of police officers.

Oh dear.

The episode wasn’t bad, not really and for 1998 it was positively brilliant (despite the hair comments at the end and the ‘unnatural acts‘), but, yeah not what I was expecting. I suppose it’s rather naive to expect to have a gay character in a series without having the obligatory gay episode