Whos your daddy and what does he do.

[Fraz]

Cats are so awesome.

[Shooty*]

I can just imagine the ad now:

I'm.... not quite sure what to make of that.

First bits: fine.

Countersuing? Nah, mate. Doesn't work like that. The insurers instruct us. Just doing my bit to keep your premiums down.

And, yes, there are a lot of fraudulent claims out there. We have video footage of people in factories sabotaging gear to cause themselves small injuries, a man prising up paving slabs in Coventry town centre so he can trip over them, etc.

If it's deserving, they get compensated.

If it's not, we get medieval. And, occassionally, they get jailed.

[Rave]

And, yes, there are a lot of fraudulent claims out there. We have video footage of people in factories sabotaging gear to cause themselves small injuries, a man prising up paving slabs in Coventry town centre so he can trip over them, etc.

Oh yes. I read a good story in our company paper recently- one of our buses had a minor accident a few yards from its garage on a busy road with plenty of witnesses about. The company subsequently received two or three claims from passengers who'd apparently suffered whiplash in the accident.

Thing was, the bus was empty at the time, having finished for the day and run back out of service from wherever its terminus. CCTV from the bus backed that up. The claimants didn't get what they'd hoped for.

Anyway, I'm a bit concerned about the way that- despite the OP making clear that he wasn't in fact interested in your dads, but only in you, so many people have posted about their fathers but as far as I can see no-one at all has posted about their mothers?

My parents met at Oxford. Dad got a 2nd in Classics (I think) and subsequently worked 30+ years in the Civil Service. He ended up as the Clark of the Privy Council, meeting the Queen every month for the thick end of 10 years. A few years ago they wanted rid of him for no good reason that I could see, and gave him his civil service pension about 10 years early. So now he works a few days a week for a city livery company, plays his cello and sings, and does a lot of skiing. He divorced my mum in 2003 and has subsequently remarried- to a very nice woman who I like a lot.

My mum OTOH left Oxford with a 2nd in Physics, then went to Imperial College to do research on Hypersonics. She suggested a fuselage shape for a re-entry vehicle to NASA which would have (apparently) collected all the heat of re-entry into a cutout behind the nose. They decided to cover the bottom of the Space Shuttle in carbon tiles. Before she could write her PhD Thesis, she gave birth to me, and then did her PGCE. She worked part time as a physics teacher at a sink school for about 8 years before getting a full time job at an excellent private school in 1989. As a result, my brothers and I got a private education, thanks to her staff discount, and all three of us are hugely grateful. She still teaches there 21 years later, although she went 4/5ths time (and took a 20% paycut) about 10 years ago so she could free up time for running lunchtime and afterschool clubs- like Bridge Club and the Astronomical Society- I.E. for geeky kids who otherwise would have to sit around playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Can you tell who I'm more proud of?

As for me- flunked out of a Mech Eng degree, sold cameras for a couple of years while I was trying to get back in. When that didn't work I got promoted to Assistant Manager of another camera store, then a year and a half later got demoted again for being a crap manager (always an ace salesman though). Then I went into the Civil Service at the most junior grade short of post boy- nearly got disciplined for laziness as the job was so boring that I'd find any way of avoiding doing it. Took voluntary redundancy after 2 1/2 years, on the dole for 6 months, then got a job as a bus driver, as people told me it was a lot better than driving a minicab, which was my other plan.

After 20 months of bus driving, in which time I only got disciplined once (for crashing a bus), I got promoted to be a Controller, which is what I'm doing 2 years later, now aged a bit shy of 31. I tell bus drivers what to do for a living- when to leave, when to slow down, where to stop their bus short and turn around if they're late etc. I have to work shifts, and I have to do a couple of days overtime a month to earn the median wage for London, but I'm only 30 and it'll do for the time being.

[megah0]

I'm 28, I have a degree in biology, had a play at being a proteomics researcher, ran out of funding, went to find a proper job, tried retail, bookmaking etc and have since spent another 2 years at uni doing a fast track nursing course and I am due to start work as a staff nurse on a (very) busy intensive care unit shortly.

My Dad is an engineer, he has done copper mine tool design, automotive design and project management and currently works as a comissioning engineer for a multinational company mainly to do with aluminium smelting.

My mum was a housewife, did a bit of health care work but has since retired on grounds of ill health.

[nvening]

Im on a gap year (not backpacking but working and travelling to to different places in between) then im off to study environmental science at the university of Leeds - i like trees.

[Dingo]

Solicitor, 34 years old.
You know those adverts you see on telly saying "Have you been really stupid and hurt yourself and want to blame someone else and get some free money?" yeah?

Right, well, I act AGAINST them, defending companies and local councils. Which makes me the goody.

I laughed so hard when I read your post that I spat my coffee all over my keyboard, which then seeped into the 80mm top fan, and fell onto my cpu, causing an electrical fire, which spread with such voracity, that the whole of Bournemouth burnt to the ground, killing millions in the process and depriving future generations of a "home by the sea". Goody eh!!?.....You will be hearing from my "Blood sucking, bottom f*****g" representatives shortly.

Obviously the "Companies" you work for provided you with the right ladder, and you won't be breaking your shoulder, sidling up to the Accountants who are squirriling your "ill gotten gains" into tax exempt annuities so you have a stress free and happy retirement!!.

Please, please, tell me you are on mind inhibiting drugs, or at the very least, you know you are Crazy, because anyone who openly admits to being a pariah (ie) paid for assassin, cannot surely believe that defending companies and local councils from their ineptitude, lack of compliance and general disregard for the laws of the land, could excuse them from "poor and inadequate behaviour".

Personally, I spent six years pursuing a claim against another motorist who pulled out without lights on and, to this day, 23 years later, am still in pain due to that accident. After six years, the Insurance company decided to enlist the help of a "Harley Street Doctor" whose testimony (yes, he had doctorates bigger than my balls) stated that there was nothing wrong with me despite three Independent doctor's stating that I would suffer long term effects.

I agreed a settlement based upon his testimony, and insisted that, if I had a problem within ten years he would rectify it without cost.....guess what.....he declined the settlement, and within 7 years I had to personally pay for a hip operation, yeah, Solicitor's are always the good guys!!




Anyway, back on topic.......my Father used to rob Banks and Post Offices using firearms (yes, seriously!) but thankfully, I take after my Mother, and am currently selling orphaned babies on Ebay to fund my 3 completely inappropriate "accident at work" claims a day


PS You really should see a Psychiatrist (um, fellow professional like yourself) and work out the fees accordingly, I'm sure he will be able to convince you to sue yourself for millions, provided of course you aren't "faking it"?