Early Risers.

[Ian Abel]

Late Chewsday check in...

 

Flustercuck has been raised as the flag of the day!

Early morning email asking when I was next going to be at the Long Island Client. "Next week" says me.

"Ah" says VP of Finance, "was wondering if you'd be here the following week after the cloud server upgrade".

 

Apparently, the VP in IT that's heading up our server upgrade (this has been in the planning stages for SIX BLQQDY MONTHS ALREADY), and whom I've NEVER talked to about it since "she felt it unnecessary and would let me know if and when she needed any input from me", is apparently NOW expressing some concerns and misgivings about the Business Intelligence dashboards and reports that I deal with, migrating successfully?!?! WTF?!

 

So everyone is now in a panic as to whether I can be available to handle any problems in person or remotely that week.

Items of note;

1) It's Thanksgiving week here and there are only 3 work days anyway. It's INSANE to travel in the US that week and I never do!

2) Re: Item #1 above I DID raise that fact with them 6 months ago, suggesting that maybe the weekend before Thanksgiving might NOT be the best time to do an upgrade/migration! This was considered nonsense since it's a "pretty straightforward migration".

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING" I responded, to which I was quickly told that this is different, HAR FU!@#$!@$!@ING HAR!

3) We just got word that the last member of the cul-de-sac I grew up in (moved in in 1952), the mother of the guy I've know the longest in the world, since I was 3, has passed away. I was/am planning a quick 3 day trip to attend the funeral on Monday 25th., given I won't be needed anyway?? So I'd be only connecting remote from the UK Monday for a brief period, and Tuesday from the plane if I bother to connect to the wifi.

 

Item #3 has them worried and confused, not sure what the next request/questions may be, but I personally am alarmed that someone heading up a significant project has only just now - 6 months in and just 10 days before it's planned to start - decided she may have concerns about how it may go.

My thoughts are, "c'est la vie", and "poor planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part". Thank you for your interest

 

Nothing else eventful to report, Jemma dropped off Whitney for another stay while Jemma heads off for her next trip.

 

Along the lines of REALLY COLD this morning when Jemma showed up, -15, sunny but a stiff breeze real feel about -19! -8 the expected high.

 

Bon chance, mes amis!

 

 

Edited November 12, 2019 by Ian Abel

[JohnDMJ]

31 minutes ago, TheQ said:

190 miles ish...3.5 hours from home to derby by car ( on a good trip) .. £ 60 is petrol. 

Train £75 booking ahead,  4 hours plus, 2 or 3 changes of train.  Then I'd have to get to the station 10 miles away.. 

Flying  3.5 hours plus via Edinburgh or Amsterdam!!!  £ 275 minimum!!! 

Bus 6hours 20 minutes with. 3 changes.. 

 

Some thought will have to go into this if I were to try to make it. 

 

 

But think of the environmental footprint.

 

The whole thrust of high speed (300Kmh or greater) is about reducing this and getting there faster than air travel (with its incumbent security checks and prolonged agony between arriving and leaving, etc.) The Air France check-in for flights from Bruxellles to Paris is at Bruxelles Midi (Zuid) station! You're going by Thalys TGV!

 

I know you have to get to London to achieve this, but London to Amsterdam, 20 min check-in time, 4 hours in the train and no waiting for your baggage to come round on the carousel because it's with you all the time.

 

A couple of years ago, I travelled from home on the South coast to Derby three times in 5 weeks, all day trips by train.

 

OK, given that the starting point may have an influence on the trip, for Amsterdam, Paris, Bruxelles, Zurich, Derby, it's train all the way for me!

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each.

#### sorted by those very nice people from Kernow who have a branch in Guildford. #### found to be faulty and will be sent back to Hornby and I was given a replacement. Excellent and cheerful service and GDB is a very happy bunny Bobby. First time I've been there but I will definitely return. I used the park and ride in Guildford, buses every 12 minutes and only £1 return if you have an OFs bus pass.  Haven't been there for more years than I care to remember but that may change. I have a feeling The Boss might like the shops there and I would be happy to take her and go for a little walk while she's shopping.  

 

In other news you may remember I mentioned 2 friends/ex neighbours who died within a few days of each other.  Just been given details of both funerals, same day within an hour of each other and 50 odd miles apart which means a choice has had to be made.

 

Now for another Malbec and disregarding any advice regarding 14 units per week. They're 'aving a larf!

 

 

[southern42]

Happier days...before I went down with this awful...cold...RATS!

Hope none of you get it.  Not nice.

 

A walk at Llanfairfechan before lunch at the beginning of last week.  Sheeeeesh!...it seems ages ago.

 

This year's brood, eight in all.  And you always get one who is a bit behind the others!

Shame about the shade.

 

Anglesey and Puffin Island.  The lighthouse is just visible.  I watched the tide coming in over lunch in the cafe.

 

The long thin thing turned out to be the 1333 1H89 Holyhead-Manchester Piccadilly thundering past.

 

And next, check out the Muddy Hollow but no Woolly Hippos around today.

I was going to get a closer view but the fallen tree caught my eye...

 

Time to check the leeks.  Slow cook for a leek & potato pie.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. My sister called earlier this evening with news of my brother. He has now been moved to the Whitechapel hospital which is more accessible. It has been confirmed that is what I suspected, he has sepsis. Fortunately the antibiotics are working and he should recover but its going to be slow.

1 hour ago, southern42 said:

' evening all from red dragon land.

 

Looks like we will not get to Warley with the rail strike...but hoping...

 

__________

Best wishes

Polly

I'm going by coach, trouble is a very early start.

[brianusa]

14 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Here in the Pacific Northwest are forecast to have a grand total of 0.1" (2.5mm in new money) of rain tomorrow. While rain was rumoured in the area yesterday, where I live there was little more than dampness evident on the ground. We are well into what is usually the wettest month of the year with very little in the rain gauge (apparently 0.24" at the airport, but I've seen none of that) and are now more than 3" behind what is "normal" since the beginning of October.

 

Unlike the 75% of the US that will experience wintry weather tomorrow, here in the Northwest we are expecting a high of around 15°C. 

 

It has been delightful Autumn weather, but it is odd. Hopefully the mountain snow will come. We drink and bathe in this in August.

 

Same weather up here in WA although don't really need rain for a few days while our decks are finished!

 In my skiing days, we were always concerned about yellow snow!

   Brian.

Edited November 12, 2019 by brianusa

[Tony_S]

I noticed some estimates of cost / time etc getting to Derby. It is possible as a day trip from here but just out of interest I looked at some hotel prices overnight. I think for one hotel to include “all rooms include toilet paper “ as a point of interest may not be as good an indicator of quality as they think.  Is this normally extra in the East Midlands?

[Debs.]

11 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

........I think for one hotel to include “all rooms include toilet paper “ as a point of interest may not be as good an indicator of quality as they think.  Is this normally extra in the East Midlands?

......did it specify it was priced by the roll, or per sheet? 

[Oldddudders]

6 minutes ago, Debs. said:

......did it specify it was priced by the roll, or per sheet? 

Please use both sides of the paper.

[81C]

Evening All

5 page catch up today 

I felt a bit under the weather today after walking the dog, I had some Heinz mushroom soup and all is well totally knackered I had a kip this afternoon as both meals out have been deferred.

I'm off to bed to bury my head in a good book, sleep tight S.L.Eepie 

[tigerburnie]

Evening all...…………………...

we went for a ride taking cameras looking for Waxwings, travelled over a hundred miles and found out when we got back they are 6 miles from my front door...…...

We went over the hills to Banchory to a garden centre, why they still call them that I don't know, little in the way of anything related to gardening on show, I did find a packet of seeds that require chilling in the greenhouse over winter prior to sowing. A snack was taken, one of the nicest bacon rolls I have had in a long time washed down with a mugga capachino. No visits to TOSH today, but I am hunting some rolling stock just now.

 

G'night all

[Mike Bellamy]

59 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I noticed some estimates of cost / time etc getting to Derby. It is possible as a day trip from here but just out of interest I looked at some hotel prices overnight. I think for one hotel to include “all rooms include toilet paper “ as a point of interest may not be as good an indicator of quality as they think.  Is this normally extra in the East Midlands?

 

I wonder which hotel that was ?  Obviously living here, I don't use the local hotels but I'll try to answer any queries.

 

Mike

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Nothing of note happened during the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix, apart from the sun shining, YES, I said sun shining! Both cakes were also made, I just have to decorate the carrot cake tomorrow morning. I also managed to make a couple of MERG kits. One was a reverse loop controller and the other was an event sequencer. The later can control up to 5 events, with an adjustable time delay between them.

 

Goodnight all

[Barry O]

Thanks for the PMs. Mike I will pm you tomorrow if that is ok?

 

Sleep well all!

Baz

Edited November 13, 2019 by Barry O

[The Stationmaster]

So both cats do a disappearing trick - until I nip upstairs to put on my jammies and find Charlie stretched out down the middle of our bed and Poppy happily ensconced halfway into my side of the bed.  Head for spare room (I know when I'm beaten) but before I could spread the duvet Poppy zooms past on her way to share the Good Doctor's bed, Charlie will hopefully not have taken my side before I go to bed but you never know.   Presumably this is part of 'settling in'?

 

PM tomorrow perfectly ok Baz.  Current weekday journey time to Derby from here is 3 hours on the trains with decent connections which only 2 changes (both of which are in the first 10 miles of the outward journey!).  journey time is likely to be longer next May as by then (make me very)Cross-rail will be running its miserable railborne efforts and the first half hour will probably have become 50 minutes, to do 10 miles.

Edited November 13, 2019 by The Stationmaster

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Presumably this is part of 'settling in'?

I don’t know much about cats but it seems as if they are settling in nicely.

[AndyID]

5 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Presumably this is part of 'settling in'?

 

More like a land grab.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all.

[BR60103]

From a cold RV across the river from New York.

 

A bit of a walk in the city today, buying warmer clothes inter alia.

 

A delay at one intersection as POTUS was expected by. Swmbo decided to stay and watch.  Large number of vehicles with flashing lights. I think he cleared out his apartment from the number of vans.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I think for one hotel to include “all rooms include toilet paper “ as a point of interest may not be as good an indicator of quality as they think.

Was there also a "No riff raff" disclaimer?

 

The hospitality industry in the UK really is different. I used to think that Basil Fawlty was 'over the top' but the more stories like this that I hear, the more I think John Cleese was being too subtle by far in Fawlty Towers.

 

Today is the 49th anniversary of the "exploding whale" story - a seminal moment in Oregon broadcast journalism. KATU's Paul Linnman's commentary is priceless. (This is our local version of the "Oh the humanity!" remark in the Hindenburg disaster.) Mark your calendars, next year is the 50th anniversary.

 

Edited November 13, 2019 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

1) It's Thanksgiving week here and there are only 3 work days anyway. It's INSANE to travel in the US that week and I never do!

Yes. Business travel during Thanksgiving week is inconceivable. Worse is travelling on the Sunday of the Thanksgiving long weekend - it is the absolute worst travel day of the year.

 

Presumably the snowy weather in the east will have dissipated by then. I can only imagine the chaos of the combination of widespread snow and Thanksgiving.

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

There are matters arising today.  Let us begin with food.  My loathing of macaroni cheese goes back 60 years, to school dinners at Latymer Upper School.  It induced nausea then and still does.  The courage necessary to eat sushi has not yet presented itself and may not for some time as I have no plans to visit Japan – or, for the time being, Rapperswil.

 

The idea of a gathering of ERs appeals greatly.  I am up for it provided the date fits.  An alarm bell is ringing in my head as respects the dates of the Derby show but the Staplegrove gathering is already in my diary.  It is in the nature of things that whenever or wherever it is will not be convenient for somebody.  At the moment, Derby is a pig for me to reach by rail.  The current stopping pattern “serving” Bedford is of two East Midlands trains within 10 minutes and then nothing for another 50.  No wonder their use is disappointing.  I have always had to contend with the Leicester Fester and future timetable plans will entail a change at Kettering as well

 

I had a good day in the shed yesterday and some m*d*ll*ng got done.  Less successful was my attempt to place a CD by Sam Carter in the slot of the CD player in the car.  I missed and the CD has disappeared.  It is probably behind the glove compartment and how I extricate it without dismantling half the car is a Good Question.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[AndyID]

MrsID "suggested" it was about time we had a heated towel rail in the bathroom. I considered circulating water from the hot water tank through a cleverly constructed series of large diameter copper tubes until I discovered low output (120 Watt) electric towel rails are not ridiculously expensive. Then I found a nice example online that was "used", meaning someone had bought it and had no idea how to install it. I bought it for about 30% of the regular price.

 

The only snag is all the bits of conduit required to connect* it cost as much as I paid for the blinking towel rail.

 

*Fear not. The connection will be fully compliant with the NEC (National Electrical Code) and fed via a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) aka RCD.

[Debs.]

Morning awl. 

Whilst at a hospital appt., late yesterday afternoon, I was browsing t'internet for a particular text book, which I've been finding way-too pricey on my usual online sources......I widened my search and Amazon.fr offered me precisely the same book for considerably less than half the price in GBP (delivered) than that of their Amazon.uk site.......I've just had a message (in French of course) that the book will be delivered today; how do they do it!?!