28 April - Latin & Cows

Research on events you want to attend is futile sometimes. If something gets billed as a talk by Toby Young about the decline of grammar/latin in schools, you sort of imagine there will be some hilarity. So you invite a couple of friends to the Idler academy.

However, I should have paid more attention to the 'talk' word. Which can mean lecture. And it was. A lecture about why he has started a free comprehensive in Hammersmith with a short Q&A after. I care about schools but since I don't have children, I care a lot less. I imagine it's almost impossible now to reverse the damage done by handing out GCSE's by the armful to kits who can't write and am not talking about split infinitives, god knows some of those escape my watchful eye often enough when I write (they don't if I bother to edit/re-read but sometime I'm too pushed for time). But it was mildly interesting at the end when some kid from a comprehensive in Holland park called Heathcote (! a very common name in parts of Essex i think) tried to argue a point vs Mr Young and was silenced. There was also interesting input from an English teacher who had taught in France where they still do it by rote instead of encouraging 'creative thinking'. I also learnt a lot by rote and I think you should. Learn the thing/methods and smash them up later, but in the meantime you're also employable above the level of moron.

None of this however interested my friend D who had arrived for the 7pm event having done a line. This was because she was going to have a drink at 8pm with a male friend she's nervous about ie. a date situation and she had got the powder because they were going to a gig afterwards. A vodka and tonic clearly is not enough to steady nerves. And so she braved 40 mins of the 'talk' before escaping - she needed the loo. Yes, of course. D also knew that the previous week at the Idler had been a big of a wash out (Anne Pigalle). I was going to lie about it but D said that daughter of friend had attended and said it was pants. What's the chance of that? I mean, there were 8 of us total in the audience!

After the talk, Toph was meeting friends at The Cow and so was I. I never ever go there for a drink, far too crowded, but on this occasion I walk in and there is Toph and his possee, two tables away is D with her date. I go upstairs where Angolan queen is having dinner with son and they're the only table apart from one where RF, musician I worked with is on a date! I practically knew the whole pub!

Angolan queen's son works in talent in advertising. He's 28 and earns 50k which is massively more than his mother. She's proud of that. He said something very sweet about me and I quote 'I have to deal with so many mad people looking for work, some of them are old but when confronted with some mad creative woman in her 50's with blue hair and funky glasses, I can deal with her because of knowing mum's friends, like you'.

How sweet is that? Sigh.... and no, I abhor blue hair and funky advertising glasses so rest assured he just meant his mothers' mates are mad. Sigh....... I got my revenge by stirring the conversation to discussing how men often pick girlfriends who have more than one aspect in common with their own mothers. After some searching he had to agree that his long term fiancee' is similar to his mum for x, y, z reasons. There you go. Go home and have sex now. But I love him really, very proud of him too.