I know I have said this more than once over the past few posts, but I wonder what I ever found to blog about. These days every time I think I'll log in and rant for a bit - I find I haven't anything interesting to say. Nothing interesting ever happens these days. Except, that's not really true at all. I've had some great times over the past year or so - my foray into the world of academia has been amazing. Somehow, I actually managed to get a distinction for the wretched PGCE which puts me in the upper echelons of newly qualified teachers. That's rather nice. I don't really know how I did it to be honest.


When I was 17 and applying for university the first time round, my form tutor called me in for my tutorial as she was writing references for us all and told me that she didn't think I had reached my potential whilst at school. She went on to say that she didn't think I would reach it at university either. I smiled tightly and left her office thinking "Thanks. That's helpful." What a stupid thing to say to a teenager. I had no idea what my potential was or how I should ever reach it and I have to say, that although it pains me to admit it, that statement of hers has dogged my life.


I suppose that getting 85% for my final essay is a start. My tutor was talking about trying to get it published. Imagine that - my name in metaphorical lights... she told me the other day that she had bandied my name around some conference in Oxford of all places... I told my good friend The Cat Who Walked Alone about the distinction and she said "Well, I'm not surprised." But I was. I still feel like a little kid from Devon who didn't think she going to amount to much.


One of my kids asked me when I would be free the other day because one of the other girls whose attendance is somewhat sporadic, if we describe it politely, wanted to talk to me because "You're the only one who listens." Wow. So I'll never win an Oscar and I'll never join the ENO but I've made a difference to one teenager. That... is my potential fulfilled. If I never do anything else in my life it won't matter because I've made a difference. I have become the Starfish Thrower and I am content.

Well...

you don't log in for a while and when you do, you find that Blogger has changed beyond all recognition. I hate this. Facebook do it, Twitter do it, Zynga do it... it's really annoying. You spend ages getting things to look how you like and familiarising yourself with everything that is going on and how to use them to their fullest potential and the next thing is you find yourself having to do it all over again. Well, hear this. Blogger. I do not like it. Have you never heard the axiom "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."? We have this saying for a reason. This new editing page which is entirely white and pale grey is really hard on the eyes. Nasty. As soon as I find a blogging platform that suits me better, I am taking the Big Old Blighty Blag elsewhere. You heard it here first.