Astrology schmastrology
I was freelancing at a mag where each week some unlucky sap would get the job of making up that issue's star signs (well, not the actual signs - they're quite well known).

It was always a mix of 'that boy you like will say something mysterious on Thursday' or 'Sagittarians: on Tuesday, why not treat yourself to that new top you've had your eye on, you deserve it!" Etc. and so forth.

I was editing the things one week, written by this incredibly posh regular freelancer. I was - at first - pleasantly surprised, she seemed to have done some research and it was all 'house of Saturn' this and 'Neptune rising' that. Until I got to the point where she started talking about how Tuesday's eclipse of the moon would affect your homework, or spots, or that new top you've had your eye on or something. 'Cos I was pretty sure there wasn't an eclipse of the moon coming up, and since these eclipse things tend to be predicted several thousand years in advance by Ancient Mayan astronomers etc., I was guessing our freelancer hadn't managed to spot one that had somehow fallen through the net. Still, you know what the heavens are like: unpredictable. Oh no, hang on.

She'd made it all up of course. And when I asked her if she thought that while people might not notice that that top they were really after wasn't, after all, the solution to all their spot/homework/new top problems, they *might*, on the other hand, notice the moon *not disappearing*, she didn't really have an answer.

She was later caught (and fired for) making-up and selling 'real-life' stories, including one tragic one about someone caught up in the boxing day tsunami, getting a friend to pretend to be said victim for the photos and everything.

Apologies for length, but if it bothers you, why not treat yourself to that new top you've had your eye on?
( FridgeBadger, Mon 7 Mar 2011, 14:31, 3 replies)

thank you, I...
I think I will!
(TheFlyingOnion. looking forward to, Mon 7 Mar 2011, 15:12, closed)

I wrote the astrology column for a lifestyle website once
of course I made it all up
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 7 Mar 2011, 17:31, closed)

new top
Because it's full of another woman's breasts
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Mon 7 Mar 2011, 17:53, closed)