Is it just me that can't open bags of pasta properly?

They all have this "easy-seal" thingy, but that's not a lot of use when I can never open the bag without the contents going all over the place... the easy-seal thingy can't seal it after that :-)

Thank you to all the people who have told me they enjoyed my radio programme last week. If you didn't hear it but you'd like to, you've probably missed your chance with "Listen Again" (unless you read this within a couple of hours of me writing it), but the BBC did send me a copy so I can put it online at some point if need be. To those who *did* hear it, please can I clarify that it was recorded in July this year, at which point I had had a temp job for 10 months. When I was interviewed I did discuss the temping experience at length, so I was a little horrified to discover that they'd edited the conversation to give the impression that I had been unemployed ever since I quit teaching. (If you listen carefully, I didn't say that, but I realise it gives the impression I did!)

The flood of job offers that the producer thought I'd get as a result of the programme hasn't materialised (although there have been the usual emails from total strangers...) but he belatedly realised he'd also cut out the discussions about what I can actually do, and that I'm in Manchester. But maybe something will turn up eventually. (Ironically I did get turned down for a BBC job - it was for the education department of the BBC Phil - a few days before my programme was broadcast. As usual, no interview and no feedback as to why, but at least I got an answer, which is rare!)

Anyway, choir news: We started back last week with a read through Mahler 2. My attempts to get a head start on the memorising (because I'll be away the week before the concert) were derailed by the number of alterations to the parts - I wish I'd known about them earlier! Oh well. I'll amend my single-part PDFs when I have a minute - and when the alterations are written in stone (I'm still hoping there'll be a change of heart about giving ONE OF THE BEST ALTO MOMENTS EVER to the 2nd sops...)

I've updated my online choir schedule in light of recently-announced venue changes, so the handful of choir members that are still reading this may wish to check it out (email me if you've lost the link). Also, I've added the football fixtures till Christmas, and you may wish to note that Man Utd are at home both tomorrow (17th September) and next Tuesday (23rd September). I am distraught to have had to give my seat to my brother for both matches (if I wasn't going to miss a rehearsal the week before the concert, I would certainly have gone to Old Trafford tomorrow - Berbatov's home debut, and the return of Ronaldo!) (Note: I did check the Man City fixtures too, but none of them clash with choir commitments.)

What else? Well, Maestro finished, and I did watch all of it without particularly enjoying it. Also I wanted Goldie to win (well, Alex James really, but he was voted out far too early). Various articles have appeared following the final, including another Spectator article by Alex James, a discussion about why there aren't many female conductors, and a summing-up from the Guardian. (Oh, and wasn't Bryn Terfel great at the Last Night of the Proms? Even though it didn't feel like a proper Last Night without the proper Sea Songs....)

Other musical stuff in the news: let's see. Everyone seems to be raving about Messiaen's St Francis of Assisi, but unless I'm remembering a different piece, I'm fairly sure we sang it a few years ago and it's the only time I've ever actually fallen asleep IN THE CONCERT, I was so bored. Clearly I have no taste!

Vernon Handley died last week, and there are many obituaries, notably from The Guardian, On an Overgrown Path and Tom Service.

There's yet ANOTHER choir programme coming to TV, but this one's a drama: The Choir. I heard they were still looking for actors for some of the parts.... you might be lucky!

The Royal Opera House put on an opera for Sun readers, but its ex-chief was traumatised when he worked there. The Monkey opera is to get its very own theatre. Here's a lovely story about a choir of fishermen. BBC World News (for reasons I don't entirely understand) is asking you to choose between Beethoven and Mozart (and other easier choices). The Manchester Evening News points out some of the solo classical performances in Manchester this season. And From the Front of the Choir has some debate about the debate on the Last Choir Standing website!

The Manchester Commute Challenge is today. Wonder who'll win this time? I suspect the performance of the train will depend on whether or not the cable thieves have been at work - I was about to say I got home late last night because of them, but actually I was slightly early... because when I got to the station, the previous train hadn't arrived yet, and when it did eventually turn up, it left only slightly before my regular train should have, so I got home a few minutes early (although without a seat, obviously!)

And finally, some fun stuff. Tip of my Tongue claims to be able to come up with words you can't remember, although I haven't had much luck with it so far. Mind you, that's probably because I can usually remember either the whole of the word or none of it :-)

More Cowbell looks as if it will be fun to play with (I haven't actually tried it yet). (The phrase "more cowbell" isn't that well-known in the UK... yet!)

This Split Words game is much harder than it sounds, and I wasted quite a while on it the other day (I got nowhere on the highest levels, but level 4 isn't too bad, depending on the topic...)

And finally finally, this video of a cat attacking a printer made me cry with laughter. YMMV :-)