Sideswipe: February 7: Inflation: The tip of the iceberg

The sweet nostalgia of Mum and Dad's jobs

Kiwi comedian Amanda Kennedy (@Ahhmandah) asked her Twitter followers, what's one thing a parent's job gave you that other people are unlikely to experience? "Me - dad was a forensic psychiatrist I got a local murder and mayhem tour of Christchurch." The responses were glorious:

1. "Dad worked with Italian tunnellers on the Tongariro project near Turangi. Every year they'd honour Santa Barbara, patron saint of miners, with a Latin Mass, once deep in the tunnel they were digging. Dripping cave walls, fire torches and the priest's booming voice. Unforgettable."

2. "My old man was a crash fireman at Woodbourne Air Force base in the 70s, then a traffic cop, then a policeman for 10 yrs. We once had a corpse in our backyard after a search & rescue. I may or may not have taken a peek under the tarp that day..."

3. "My mum worked in a glass factory and tiny glass shards got into the house from her shoes. So we often had cuts on the soles of our feet and got told off for walking around with bare feet. Still can't do bare feet."

4. "Stepdad was a plumber and in the school holidays I had to help him so he would have me shove my ungloved arms down blocked pipes full of sewage to help get the snake started."

5. "Dad was a farmer. I had to pluck wool from dead sheep carcasses. 'Best' bit is that you can't do it until the carcass is a couple of days old & has begun to swell."

6. "For a while Dad was duty manager at the Mandalay Reception Lounge, AKL. Learned to play a grand piano. Chased lights around the dance floor, hunted for sequins in the changing room after dance competitions. Saw some of the jazz greats performing live. Shook hands with Billy T."

7. "My mum was a flying instructor and we got to fly in a little 4-seater to our summer holidays! We even drove the plane up the road so we could hose the dust off."

8. "My Dad was a musician and took a photo of Roy Orbison cradling me in his arms when I was about 6 months old."

Nose mask

A South Korean face mask that only covers the wearer's nose is called a "kosk" – a combination of "ko", the Korean word for nose, and "mask". The unusual face mask sold by South Korean company Atman consists of two parts, one of which can be removed to leave the wearer's mouth exposed. It is apparently designed to provide some level of protection against Covid while eating, but can also be worn in nose-only mode at any time. The mask has sparked some controversy, many people declaring them utterly useless.

Groovy affirmation

"A disco ball is hundreds of pieces of broken glass put together to make a magical ball of light. You aren't broken. You are a disco ball."