How do you kill that which has no life?

It's dystopiarcadia's anniversaire today, so I should be seeing her tonight. Given the way I've been feeling since Tuesday, though, alcohol is probably not a very great idea. We'll see.

Via chinawolf: A mother whose two teenage daughters were placed in an orphanage when she fell ill during a post-Christmas shopping trip to New York has been told she is under investigation because her children were taken into care. [article] Can someone PLEASE explain to me how this... oh I don't know, I've lost my words. Just HOW?

I shall now pretend to be busy. The geographers are doing the design work anyway, there is no use of me.

There should be a big update at 40point5 this weekend.

Friday spam

You guys must all be busy out there having lives. Which leaves me and the poor unloved internet to comfort each other in our loneliness.

My mum sent me towels. They're ugly but they seem soft!

Tesco has been ever so helpful. They informed me, on the packaging of their roasted pistachios in shells, that this product contains pistachios. Great allergy advice, very very important *sage nod of approval*. It also cautioned me that I should remove them from shells before consumption.

Why "consumption", anyway? Why not "eating"? Why does Stratford station tell people that "surfaces may have become slippery due to the adverse weather conditions" instead of "it's been raining, the floor may be wet and slippery"? I know I have said this before, but despite all those "plain English" movements that pop up here and there, the situation is not getting any better.

However! The other day in a meeting at a London Borough, I was told that they now have to use day-to-day English that everyone else uses. So, "framework" becomes "partnership", "stakeholders" becomes "affected residents and businesses", etc. I was delighted. There is hope yet...?