Be true to yourself.
With a half full glass.
Never get worried if you ain’t got enough brass.
Write it down and say it loud.
Always remember you’re uniquely individual, be proud.
Never become just one of the crowd.
Challenge yourself every day however small.
So tomorrow you can hold your head up and walk tall.
What makes you feel nostalgic?
But that’s in the past 🤔
For my thoughts to be productive, profound, and distinctive I have provided a relaxing comfy sofa in my mind for my thoughts to sit and contemplate.
Well thoughts, I need you to think about a challenge I’m taking on. You need to think carefully as I don’t want misogynistic and sexist comments as that will be defeating the objective.
As if I would.
I certainly hope you don’t. Anyway, I digress. What I want to ask you is your opinions, experience, and views to aid me in drafting a short story where my protagonist is a female. I want to make her believable to both male and female readers. To make her plausible and as real as possible.
Oh dear. You want to bring out your feminine side. A side that does not exist. You’re hyped from excessive testosterone that will and does block your understanding of the opposite sex. Let’s face it, since when have you ever tried to understand women?
I told you it would be a challenge. I need to know what my female character will want from life. What drives her. Her insecurities, strengths, and personality traits that she lives by and with. Surely it can’t be that much different from a male’s perspective, can it?
It will depend on what this broad of yours is like. A traditional weak and vulnerable young lady relying on the male of the species to support, guide and run her life. Or will she be a modern, go getter. Feisty and determined career minded woman wha can compete with the best that the males can throw at her. Is she a family oriented female that strives to be a mother and wife and one that also wants to drive a career forward at the same time. Is she a woman that wants career and only career and even with a partner or husband does not wish to bear children. Or have you a domineering character in mind. You know the type with attitude and a persona that we men read as man hater. Have you a starting point? What is her goals within the plot.
That’s a lot for me to digest. Some bits could be relevant others way of the mark. I had an idea for a woman engineer inspecting a structural connection of a bridge that she believes from her calculations that the bolts are insufficient to assist in load transfer. And then a senior male engineer who will not even consider her, as he puts it, assumptions that are unfounded.
Lllll
Oh, I see. The strong intellectual type.
Well, strong in someways weak in others. She categorically trusts her calculations done to Eurocode and checked for clamp load, tensile and shear making allowance for static and dynamic actions. It’s more about trust and acknowledgment of her skills, experience, expertise and qualifications.
Because she was originally mentored by one on the practices other partners that he does not have a good relationship with or accept as an equal then his judgment is clouded. This partner in question got his degree from a Polytechnic while he himself achieved his with honours at a well respected University. Accepting women to be equal is also one of his fears. His inner prejudice blinding his professional responsibility to react to a concern that have been brought to his attention.
Does this help?
Sounds like an intriguing plot. A career minded focused woman. Dealing with a dinosaur like him is not for the faintest of hearts. Is this based on real life or inspired by it.
No, not really. I just chose an industry that comes across as male dominated. Not exclusively male as it’s made lots of changes over the last few decades. But the perception is that it’s still a male dominated industry. So, I thought it would give some good context to the story.
Anyway, back to my protagonist. I want her to come across as vulnerable to the senior partners initial response before she lets rip with her findings. A compelling argument is then perused, yet she still gets rebuffed. She warns him of the consequences, which he rejects. Finally, she gets him to do his only calculation to prove that he is right. In front on the engineering team, she demands that he must check with his own calculation and if he’s correct she will resign and if he’s wrong, he must resign. His abject egotistical nature and his distrust of her abilities makes him ask her to repeat her demands in front of the senior partners of the practice. He expected her to back down to save her own job and reputation. He’s surprised when she gladly accepts and he is left doing the calculations under the pressure and gaze of the whole team. The barrage of expletives from him as he completes his calculation indicates his exit from the practice. Collapse of the structure is averted and promotion gained.
What do you think, thoughts?
You need a few twists and turns. She needs to question herself especially with the risks involved. She needs to talk to others within the team and her friends outside of the workplace. The fear of the structure collapsing and potential death and injuries persuades her, with her conscience to low ahead and not back down to his unfounded assumptions that’s she’s wrong. You also must make it that she’s not just battling him, but others amongst the team that side with his outmoded stereotypical opinions. They fear for their careers and potential stifling of their prospects of advancement in the practice. They too start to believe that a woman is less able to do complex calculations. I think it could be a good dynamic story
Good, I’m glad it meets with your approval.
But I think you’re delving too far into the realms of fantasy fiction. Your story sounds good, but really, really do female engineers real exist.
There we go, negativity and double. Let me just show you this list. Read and enjoy these success stories: –
ICE Members Make WES Top 50 Women In Engineering List 2025 | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
Okay, okay point taken. Write your bloody story.
Oh, I certainly intend too.
Share what you know about the year you were born.
I know quite a lot about the year I was born as I googled it. Read about it. Saw documentaries and talked to people who were older than me the year I was born.
I was exceptionally young at the time so my recollections are very obscure.
Of course I could document the times here, but I won’t.
I’m actually not available to comment further as I have gone Phishing.
When are you most happy?
https://youtu.be/0drMcvlxdYE?si=CThtxxGs374P-BuU
For my thoughts to be productive, profound, and distinctive I have provided a relaxing comfy sofa in my mind for my thoughts to sit and contemplate.
We’ve not had a good in depth conversation for ages.
Correct
I think we need to talk, put life’s problems into perspective. A reboot, if you will, a resetting of where we are in the world and where the world is. What do you think.
I always think. Thinking is what I am, my sole purpose. I think therefore I am, I am what I think. What I think can be taken literally or as a side issue and opinion rather than fact. But, at the same time my thinking and inner thoughts can be a stop valve, a moment of reflection and a point at which analysis can start or sometimes end. That’s what I think. I bet that’s got you thinking.
Well, I suggest you start thinking about what’s going on in the world and what our collective opinion is. Or if we have differences of opinion then we can discuss till we have a common point of view. For example, what’s your opinion of the war in Ukraine?
That’s sad, very sad that you want to discuss war. I suppose you also want to discuss Gaza, the hostages and the suffering of the people in both conflicts. Those innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why after the conflicts of the past, rules generated to keep the peace and avoid atrocities especially to noncombatants, why oh why are we seeing civilians suffer, die and starve as if they are the ones that started it. As if they have the decisions to surrender or give ground or resolve the reasons for the war. All those rules and protections in the event of a conflict or war ignored.
But the United Nations and countries opposed can stop these things happening, can’t they? All I saw was a clambering of differing governments to decide which side they are on. No initial condemnation or work to try and stop the conflict or get a diplomatic resolution, just one of taking sides. Like a school yard fight with teachers turning their back. Once sides picked supply of arms to keep the wars going influencing the side they wish to win. And still civilians and especially children die. The abject apathy and desire not to be bought into any conflict under any circumstances, as turned governments into lightweight organisations, more bothered about not being seen as an aggressor or frightened that their own population might revolt. Like the school teacher turning their back rather than risk being hurt breaking up a fight in the school yard.
And some governments have seen these events as an influence for them to look at their own land grab aspirations. Let’s hope they all learn from the mistakes of the past two world wars and stop these conflicts and the desire to grab land. The sooner the better.
But no, I don’t want to feed you with my thoughts and opinions as it never puts things right. Or was you thinking more trade wars and high tariffs. Or maybe the impacts of high fuel and commodity prices that have generated a cost of living crisis in many countries.
Or are you really thinking about the war on CO2 emissions and climate controls.
Wow, I didn’t expect that. No sitting in the fence then? I do concur with your views. I know, we usually have differing opinions, but what you said is right. The world is apathetic and cowering behind closed doors. We are supposed to look back at the past to remember not to make the same mistakes.
But wait; the question was not what I really wanted you to answer. I just wanted a spark to get us talking and pondering our life. It wasn’t a prompt to rid the world of its ills and put things right. Our conversation can never do that.
But why not. If we can’t talk and discuss these important issues of the day, then no one else can. And if no one else can, then problems won’t get solved. And if problems aren’t solved then others will take it upon themself to go out and grab what they think is there’s. A perpetual circle of greed and self importance. Dictatorships taking control, the world run by a few rather than the many. The world’s getting smaller and as such we all have to learn to live together. We have to stand up for ourselves, family and community rather than turning our backs and running off. Climbing the fence because we believe the grass is greener on the other side rather than working to make your own grass lush and vibrantly green.
I see. So, I need to get some fertiliser to feed my grass?
Metaphorically speaking, yes. We have to look after our own back yard and at the same time encouraging our neighbours to look after their own grass. We need to encourage them. At time we need to supply the grass seed, lend them our lawn mower or watering can. Helping each other to be self sufficient. We can then all live in harmony, trust and with security.
Anyway, they are showing The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills Game live and we promised ourselves that we’d watch it.
Great idea, now you’re talking. Don’t forget the beers and order in a pizza.
Yup, I’ll sort it. They’re have a great season the Patriots. Let’s see if they can keep their momentum going. Sod the world, sport comes first.
What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?
It has to be the movement of 17 muscles that everyone should do everyday. No matter how young or old, gender creed or even sexual orientation this exercise is especially for you.
I must admit some days life’s events stop me, other days it’s easy and repeatable.
It’s not too strenuous and does not need any specialist equipment or training. It’s even possible to do it in our sleep.
Those 17 muscles are used in a specific exercise called “smiling”. If you want to use up to 43 muscles you can frown. But why would you frown when you can smile. Turn the smile into a laugh.
https://youtu.be/xyHoohNyYkw?si=9xV9nz_tAipIE2IX
Who are your current most favorite people?
Oh, my current favourite people?
Well, obviously they’re an elite, highly selective group consisting of:
**“My current favorite people? Oh, absolutely—let me just unroll my ever-changing VIP list. At the top, obviously, are the ones who text me ‘we should hang out soon!’ and then vanish like a budget magician. Right beneath them are the individuals who send me TikToks instead of replying to my actual messages. Icons, truly.
And of course, I can’t forget the people who offer unsolicited advice with the confidence of someone who’s accomplished absolutely nothing. Their dedication to being wrong loudly is inspiring.
And now for the real answer……
No seriously my family are truly my favourite people. Inspirational, supportive and encouraging me every day. The reciprocal love is amazing.
Do you trust your instincts?
Are instincts natural, genetic, taught or gained from experience?
Are instincts actually instincts used spontaneously or just guesswork? When do we use our instincts, why and how?
To explain further I Googled the subject:-
Instincts come from
a combination of genetic hardwiring for survival and a deep-seated intuition built from a lifetime of subconscious pattern recognition and past experiences. They are a product of evolutionary trial and error over generations, which helps explain why certain behaviors are innate, while intuition is a faculty of the unconscious mind rapidly sifting through accumulated knowledge and current environmental cues.
Innate, evolutionary instincts
Intuition from experience and learning
So, to answer the question, my instincts can be right, wrong or indifferent but that’s the same for all of us. We can trust them and so we should. But we shouldn’t regret following or not following them when we get it wrong.
Essentially it’s called life…
What’s the first impression you want to give people?
We are told first impressions last. I suppose we all judge our first experience of meeting someone with our own perceptions, expectations and standards. We judge and sometimes interrogate their personality, image, dress, mannerisms and their intentions. We become critical before we relax and take stock of the situation and decide on our opinion of them as friends or foe.
Enough about how we react and judge others and our first impression of them.
Personally, people have to take me as I am. As Yorkshire folk say “ what you see is what you get”. No fakeisums, acting or playing to the audience, just straight forward me. Just “take me as I am”.
How do you manage screen time for yourself?
Oh, easy! I manage my screen time by staring at multiple screens—that way, the time cancels out.
BRIAN MACK 