Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

The leaning tower of San Francisco?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q56dRLI0X7Y

And one in New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QrvbUxOamo

 

[Coombe Barton]

... Today felt like saying: “You’ve had sixteen weeks to get this done, why are you leaving it until sixteen minutes before the deadline to ask these questions?”

But I didn’t. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/05/18/down-a-bit-more-and-more-noses-in-the-trough/

[New Haven Neil]

There's a strange sort of sound vacuum here, a silence has descended that has not been experienced for 8 days.....I bet the other passengers on the ferry know all about it though! 

 

To be fair it has been great to see Steve and the kids, but boy are active toddlers hard work (mummy p!$$ed off last year unfortunately - or maybe fortunately, depends on your viewpoint).  As the weather mostly co-operated it worked out OK with a lot of outside time, but this is a small house (retirement bungalow) to have 5 people in it.

 

Phew, is the operative word. We're shattered!

[New Haven Neil]

5 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

... Today felt like saying: “You’ve had sixteen weeks to get this done, why are you leaving it until sixteen minutes before the deadline to ask these questions?”

But I didn’t. ...

 

I would have - it would SO infuriate me after having offered tutorials etc, to have that happen.  Some real-world reality training!

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Feeling a bit lazy this afternoon, nothing new there then. Now for the 'best before' date lottery to see whats for dinner.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, Sidecar Racer said:

It happens.

Famously, an eagle dropped a salmon on an Alaska Airlines 737 climbing out of Juneau.

 

Oops - missed Dave's ex-bunny:

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

In 1979 in Germany I was on final approach to land in a Phantom when a buzzard flew across in front of me. There was a loud and thump and I assumed that it was the bird but when the aircraft was inspected after landing the remains of a rabbit were found on the nose wheel door and elsewhere. We then realised that the buzzard must have had it in its claws then jettisoned it for manoeuvrability when my twenty tons of F4 appeared close by. Air traffic control confirmed that the buzzard had escaped apparently unharmed.

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ian Abel]

Late today - BIN day. Got that sorted.

 

Yesterday, NOTE TO SELF:

If you're expecting to only spend a limited time on a trip to COSTCO -you're just fooling yourself!

After wandering the aisles "just in case we missed something we need", Jemma made the fatal mistake of replying to a text from Meagan/DiL and informing her we were at COSTCO.

Result, "pick up a ... cake while you're there please, dad can drop it off on their way home" ARRGGGHHHHHH!

In total with all the fannying around AND the detour to Meagans, we were gone THREE !@$!$!#$!#$$!$@ HOURS!

 

Today, slow work, followed by a happy-hour pre-choir rehearsal, as we prepare for a funeral Saturday.

 

Not affected as much as those folks up in Canada, BUT, air quality warnings here due to the Canadian fires. Both Jemma and I suffering as a result <sigh>

 

13c first thing, moderate rain from BIN time until maybe an hour ago, brightening now, high of 21c MAYBE.

 

Carry on.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

22 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

Not affected as much as those folks up in Canada, BUT, air quality warnings here due to the Canadian fires. 

 

13c first thing, moderate rain from BIN time until maybe an hour ago, brightening now, high of 21c MAYBE.

Finally cooling down (a bit) here. Today is forecast to be 30°C. We might see "normal" high temperatures (20°C) on Monday.

 

Historically Portland had no more than three days above 90°F / 32°C in May. The tally so far is a record five days in the last week.

 

The Alberta smoke pall featured on the weather reports last night. It has made it to northern Oregon but air quality here right now is still very good. Unsurprisingly Montana is quite bad.

[PupCam]

Evening All

 

I ran out of energy after extensively cleaning Monty the Mondog internally yesterday so the outside had to wait until today.    The previous two-tone "Silver and Green Moss" colour scheme has now been replaced by a simpler but much better looking plain silver scheme.    Monty goes green because he ALWAYS lives outside - the garage is for keeping the toys safe.  

 

Following my exertions I thought a Beeza BImble was in order.   Another 16 miles have been travelled with only a minor incident; some of the additional exhaust wadding decided to make a bid for freedom resulting in a Brooklands can with shaggy locks emanating from the fish tail.  It looked quite amusing but they had to go on my return!

 

Mrs P's little red driving box was delivered to the garage for its investigation this afternoon.   As it was a nice day we walked from the garage the 1.5 miles or so back  across the fields.

 

I've been playing with a little processor complete with built in WiFi module as a candidate for my DCC++ EX base station controller (NodeMCU for anyone that's interested).     I can get it to connect to the base station reliably but as soon as it attempts to send a command it decides to reset instead which is most irritating.   This appears to be a common problem but none of the suggested causes and solutions on the interweb have worked yet.   I'll keep trying!

 

TTFNQ

 

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

I would have - it would SO infuriate me after having offered tutorials etc, to have that happen.  Some real-world reality training!

 

And what's the betting they'll be moaning and b1tching when they fail/don't get the grades they want - and then demand refunds of fees etc.?

[The White Rabbit]

2 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

... Today felt like saying: “You’ve had sixteen weeks to get this done, why are you leaving it until sixteen minutes before the deadline to ask these questions?”

But I didn’t. ... 

 

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

I would have - it would SO infuriate me after having offered tutorials etc, to have that happen.  Some real-world reality training!

 

For an authentic real world experience, how about bringing the deadline forward at the last minute? As in a boss sticking his/her head round the door and saying, "They've brought [next week's]  presentation forward, grab your stuff and let's get down there now".... with failure to have the material ready leading to a speedy exit from that role with the mark of a size 11 boot visible on one's trousers*. Welcome to the world of work! 

 

* Thankfully I did have it ready early and other sizes are available. 

[figworthy]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear is getting increasingly p1ssed with recent phone calls from D.G. Scrotes which start with "Am I right in saying you're the home owner?"

At which point I hang up.  Next time I'll just put the phone next to Alexa and let them listen to Radio 2 (or Harry P.) for ten minutes.

 

 

I used to get those.  It confused the hell out of them when I told them that I didn't have any windows.

 

Whilst it wasn't strictly true, legally speaking that was the case.  I had a leasehold flat, and the lease clearly stated that the windows were the property and responsibility of the freeholder.  For some reason or other, I always forgot to explain that bit.

 

Adrian

[Coombe Barton]

3 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

I would have - it would SO infuriate me after having offered tutorials etc, to have that happen.  Some real-world reality training!

Not worth the time to listen to the excuses and getting the 'mental health' card being played.

 

Reality will come when I mark it.

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

And what's the betting they'll be moaning and b1tching when they fail/don't get the grades they want - and then demand refunds of fees etc.?

Earlier on this academic year I got fed up with students saying "I want a first' when they had no chance. I produced a spreadsheet which looked at their second year marks and see what they needed that year and t=in the final year to gt their first.

It shut some of them up.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Dinner was a spaghetti bolo, a couple of days beyond the 'best before' date. No ill effects either. Arthur Itis is beginning to grumble, time for the Nurofen.

Edited May 19, 2023 by PhilJ W

[pH]

4 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Earlier on this academic year I got fed up with students saying "I want a first' when they had no chance.

One of my sons, as a teaching assistant, had to deal with that a lot. He said the attitude was that, by having paid the course fees, the student was buying the mark of their choice for an assignment.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well, the workshop looks a while lot cleaner now, the floor in particular, Sheila said she could see it was clean when looking from the kitchen window. Before I started cleaning up, I moved everything that wasn’t fixed down outside, so I could give the floor a good clean. I then vacuumed the floor, this took a bit longer than anticipated, but it needed doing. The only things I didn’t move outside were the bookcases, but I did move them so I could get to the floor underneath them. Then I got out my mop and bucket and gave the floor a good clean, using a cloth in the corners were the mop wouldn’t reach. It was all done and ready for Charlie, but he sent me a message saying he wasn’t well, so was staying home. 

 

So after dinner I made a start put the shelves back that I’d removed so I could get the corner cupboard out. But I’ve not put them back as they were before, I thought, as they were off the wall, I’d take the opportunity to rearrange them, I’ve just got one more to put back, then I can start putting things back on them, that are currently sat in the cellar, thus clearing the cellar. 

 

The recycling bins are now out ready for tomorrow morning’s collection.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Tony_S]

If the cold caller asks “Is that correct that I am speaking to the householder?” don’’t answer ‘yes”. Don’t answer yes to anything. There are unscrupulous people,out there who will treat your “yes” recorded as permission to continue. Saves time later undoing a phone contract or energy contract you didn’t think you had agreed to. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Tony_S

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

And what's the betting they'll be moaning and b1tching when they fail/don't get the grades they want - and then demand refunds of fees etc.?

I dont know why I thought of you when I watched this. Weird.

 

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

17 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

I watched this

I wanted to see what happened next. Is that when they put the biff in?

[monkeysarefun]

12 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I wanted to see what happened next. Is that when they put the biff in?

Are you thinking 1970's Joh's  Queensland?!

[monkeysarefun]

41 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I wanted to see what happened next. Is that when they put the biff in?

The wash-up.

 

https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/on-the-road/ive-gotta-go-to-fing-work-court-hears-mans-excuse-for-100kmp-police-chase-on-am-electric-scooter/news-story/85223d22469ff69d48b9011d980cedf5

[jjb1970]

Twenty years ago I was apparently called 'I'm not your dad' by some cadets. I never minded cadets who struggled if they were trying, quite the opposite, I respected and admired those who gave it their best even if they were not so suited to it. However I got really annoyed with people who couldn't get out of bed on time, abused study days, made no effort etc. I would end up taking them to the office and giving them a spiel that I wasn't their dad, if they weren't interested I would happily have them flown home from the next port and give someone who wanted the opportunity a go, it isn't school blah blah blah. In almost all cases they turned around and it worked out well but one or two continued extracting the urine and were sent down the road. I didn't have any issue with cadets who hated being at sea as it's not for everyone, but my advice to them was generally to keep going through their year at sea given the time already invested in it, finish their HND and then move on. The HND got them a year off a university course if they wanted to study, alternatively they would be well placed to go and work somewhere else having completed a good training program. Or finish, stay at sea to get a chiefs certificate and do a degree by distance learning and go into land based ship technical management or get a job with a class society like Lloyd's Register or something. People who know their way around the coal face and also have a good academic are in great demand as they're scarce.