Rosebud
When I was younger, I was frequently beaten up by my older brothers for some reason or other, usually because I'd raided their bedrooms and eaten the sweets they'd stashed or broken their favourite toy and not hidden the evidence well enough; I was about eight, so not yet old enough to know the value of covering one's tracks.

So after my mum intervened on what would have been a particularly nasty beating from my oldest brother, I was promised a sledge of my very own. The one we had was about 20 years old, really ricketty and prone to steering into trees at will. This was shared between the four of us, hence I rarely got to use it as they were all bigger than me and could carry it up the hill and zoom back down faster than me.

And so several days went by with my oldest brother hammering away and swearing a lot in the shed in very cold weather. Finally I was presented with my precious. Imagine the coolest sled you've ever seen...then times that by about a billion in an eight year olds eyes.

Metal runners, planed and sanded wood with an indentation as a seat, proper steering thingys on the front and enough space for three people to sit on it comfortably...So not one of these crap plastic injection moulded things you can buy in the shops... This sledge was the dogs bollocks.

That year we had two days of sledging weather and one of them was on the weekend, so I got one whole day of being the most popular kid at the local fields. Marshmallows, hot chocolate, invites to parties as I had the coolest sled...Best day ever, (c'mon I was eight!)

After that, it didn't snow so much and Rosebud was relegated to the back of the shed where it languished until I went to university. Second year of college we had a ton of snow just before christmas and I excitedly called my parents to say I was coming home early to pick up my sled and would be back for christmas proper a few days after that.

My mum cleared her throat and very quietly said that she'd gotten rid of Rosebud about five years ago. She gave it to the neighbours kids, but as there had been no snow for three years, they burned it at the fireworks party she attended.

Thanks mum.

Oh and my dad; he mistakenly threw out my GCSE certificates when my parents moved house, thinking I had another set of them. Never needed them until this year when my future career kinda depends on them. Sorted now thanks to me keeping a firm grip on my degree certificate, but still...

Thanks dad
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Sun 17 Aug 2008, 20:21, 4 replies)

hey bex
hows the new job going
( spimf ™ is whoever you want him to be, Mon 18 Aug 2008, 7:29, closed)

do people seriously ask to look at GCSE certificates?
I haven't got a clue where mine are. I'm not sure I have my A level ones either

think I know where my degree certificate is....
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 18 Aug 2008, 9:28, closed)

Hey guys
Pretty well thanks Spimf, I'm tired all the time, but burning the candle at both ends at the moment, so not surprising. How's Dubai working out?

Yup, in my job they do require GCSE certificates as most people are aged 16-18 when they start, so will only have GCSE's as an entry point to get onto the course.
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 18 Aug 2008, 21:12, closed)

Rosebud
That reminds me of a Real Ghostbusters episode ages ago. Rosebuuuuuud!
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Thu 21 Aug 2008, 13:10, closed)