oh yeah

Guess who's got an extra long weekend? I have. When I finally left work at 8.30 tonight, it was with a sense of achievement, not because I have done so much, but because I won't be back until Tuesday. I am so looking forward to having some time to myself. i might have the space to think about something else to write about, I notice my posts are a bit work/weather/food obsessed. I did get two heartfelt thankyou's today, and a card last week, so at least 3 clients think I'm doing ok. It helps offset the others (mostly other professionals) who think we are scum, and stops me thinking about all the other lives I haven't interferd in enough. Hurrah, it's over now for a few more days.

I do think it's important to mention a few posting etiquette points; no swearing, nastiness or real stupidity. I mention this, not because anyone has done this to me, but because I have been guilty. Some weeks ago I had two glasses of wine and went on a blogging frenzy. I found a really interesting blog with lots of debate on current policy in Iraq. It was clearly written by well meaning and well educated people in the US, and I really wanted to comment. I wrote what I thought was a very interesting piece on the differences between the USA and UK reaction to the war/genocide and linked this to the fundamental differences in our conceptions of what being Liberal costituted.

After posting, I realised that I had gone off at a bit of a tangent. I then wrote a new response to apologise for my stupidity, and then made some unwarranted comments about Blair being misguided, but Bush being a thick wanker. When I read the calm and measured response (and I had even said that I wondered if the USA jingoism that we observed was linked to the workings of a relatively immature democracy) I felt very ashamed. What gave me the right to be so rude to these nice people? It's not their fault that their country's foreign policy (like ours) is fundamentally flawed. They were openly and honestly debating this, and I was just rude. I would never be so crude in person, and they were largely anti-war. I shall never do this again, and in fact I wore a hairshirt for the next week, and self flagellated regularly. Let my penance be a warning to you all, a cautionary tale.