Early Risers.

[DonBradley]

"Perhaps if we were all bald or something like that"

I already am!.

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

It is a rather dreary morning here - it rained quite heavily overnight, but it is now dry and dull.

 

Aren't languages wonderful?!? I remember my Uncle telling the story of being at a business meeting in America and asking a colleague to pass him a Rubber. (Meaning Eraser of course)

 

Then there's German - For years I avoided using the word for "Puddle" - preferring to use the word for "Pond". That used to provoke huge merriment from all manner of people and they would usually correct me. However, the reason I avoided the word in the first place was the plain and simple fact that there are three almost identical words - one slip of pronounciation and I haven't said "Puddle" but "Fart" or (even worse) used an extremely crude word for a part of a womans anatomy

 

Have a good day everyone...

[Robert]

Actually, that reminds me - A former colleague used to work for GEC Plessey Telecommunications and was assigned to work on a project in France.

 

He spoke passable French, but couldn't work out why it was that everytime he said who he represented (GPT) everyone sniggered. It was months before he realised everyone thought he was saying "J'ai pété"

Edited August 24, 2012 by Robert

[Oldddudders]

Then there's German - For years I avoided using the word for "Puddle" - preferring to use the word for "Pond". That used to provoke huge merriment from all manner of people and they would usually correct me. However, the reason I avoided the word in the first place was the plain and simple fact that there are three almost identical words - one slip of pronounciation and I haven't said "Puddle" but "Fart" or (even worse) used an extremely crude word for a part of a womans anatomy

I recall a story of a motor race in Portugal some years back. One of the visiting cars was sponsored by Cona, the coffee-machine manufacturer. In Portuguese, apparently, that equates to the four-letter C-word we avoid in English...... Much mirth among the locals.

 

In the '60s, Rolls Royce were seeking a name for what became the Silver Shadow. They were looking for a worthy successor to Wraith, Dawn, Cloud, and proposed Mist. Agonised "Nooooo!" from the German agent, pointing out that in German, mist means manure!

[gordon s]

Love the language stories. Really gave me a chuckle this morning....

 

Anyone understand the psychology of 'life laundry'?

 

Sitting on the floor surrounded by magazines that I have not looked at in five years. Pick the first one up and it's about building bridges. Then the demon starts telling you "keep it, it will be useful" and so it goes on. The truth is all my information comes via forums and the web these days, so I don't need hundreds of magazines that clutter up my railway room.

 

If that's the case, then why oh why does it take so much will power then to part with them....

 

Perhaps I need councelling....

[Robert]

I know this feeling all too well Gordon. There are other alternatives though.

 

Railway Modeller produce a CD - these take up far less room than the magazines themselves.

 

Alternatively, cut out the articles of interest and file them in a binder.

 

I passed on all my magazines to a colleague.

[Happy Hippo]

I have a cough, a sore throat and some itching rash caused by intimate contact with various green garden waste.

 

My wife is not feeling well, and we have guests this evening.

 

I would like to have a quiet lie down ....and a good scratch, but there are many things to do, so maybe I'll just have a good old fashioned sense of humour faliure!

 

Gordon S, I have the solution to your problem.

 

I too used to have piles of magazines, but now if I particularly want an article, I scan it into the computer and save it on a CD-RW disc. If it's really important, It's double backed up by one of these fancy cloud storage sites

 

Regards

 

Richard

Edited August 24, 2012 by Happy Hippo

[Oldddudders]

Anyone understand the psychology of 'life laundry'?

 

Sitting on the floor surrounded by magazines that I have not looked at in five years. Pick the first one up and it's about building bridges. Then the demon starts telling you "keep it, it will be useful" and so it goes on. The truth is all my information comes via forums and the web these days, so I don't need hundreds of magazines that clutter up my railway room.

 

If that's the case, then why oh why does it take so much will power then to part with them....

 

Perhaps I need councelling....

Then we both do - and not a few others, too, I suspect. As it happens I spent an hour or more on the terrace yesterday reviewing a stack of mags, and did whittle the pile down quite a bit. My problem is that I've been doing this for thirty years or more - yet know how infrequently I consult those articles I declared fit to be saved, even if I can recall where they are and what they contained..... Edited August 24, 2012 by Oldddudders

[gordon s]

Got it in one, Ian.

 

Deep down I know that if I kept a select few or copied them onto CD or scanned them, next time I wanted to know something, I'd search RMWeb or trawl the net. The magazines or electronic copies of articles, would still stay there untouched, in a file or directory for another five years. That's the stupidity of the situation. I'm continually having to work round the boxes and shift them from one side of the room to the other as though they are invaluable and must be kept, yet I know I never refer to them.

 

....and there it goes again 'just keep that one, that's a great layout, that article will be useful'.........

 

Nope, they all go....and as my wife says "think of how much better you'll feel when you can work in an empty space"..

 

...but I might need them..

[skipepsi]

Morning all, dismal grey day here I will be off to Carlisle soon to hand in DD1's work. Magazines, I sold all my MRJ's from 0 to 200 about a year ago but I haven't missed them because if I need to know something I look on here. Off load them all Gordon but don't put your back out doing it, magazines weigh more than you think.

[BoD]

Much to SWMBO's dismay I refuse to throw away (or donate to a charity shop) any books. There are some there that I will never, under any circumstances, open again ..... but ask me to get rid of them ..........

 

My piles of magazines aren't in boxes, they are on shelves.

It is easier to wipe the dust of them when it gets too thick.

[Oldddudders]

Oh, another car name. The Toyota MR2, a brilliant little coupe, with Japanese build quality - sold very well worldwide. Slightly less well, initially, in France, where it is now simply called the MR. MR2, as pronounced in French, becomes emmerdeux. Would you ache to be the first in your street to drive a Toyota Sh1tty?

Edited August 24, 2012 by Oldddudders

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Matthew is 20 today so I'm no longer a parent of a teenager! He has to go to the dentist this morning but it doesn't involve anything that will prevent us taking him out for a meal tonight. We are going to a Chinese restaurant in Westcliff. We haven't been to that restaurant before but the online reviews are favourable!

Weather is dull here but the forecast rain seems to be elsewhere.

 

Tony

[DDolfelin]

Not really, no.

 

I made a mistake a few months back.

I let it be known locally that I would welcome medium sized cardboard boxes (for postage of Richard's stuff).

You've guessed it - I'm now smuggling them out of the house for disposal in case I should be thought ungrateful.

I'm hemmed in by piles of them as I type.

[DDolfelin]

"He has to go to the dentist this morning"

Snap.

Still have discomfort from the last time.

Bone scraping is a very painful procedure.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

I have been wondering about shedding magazines but it's a difficult decision for me as I like to have complete runs of them as opposed to keeping odd copies, Some are useful for reference (e.g Trains Illustrated/Modern Railways) whilst the modelling ones just seem to date and become increasingly less relevant except for the scenic techniques in some of the US ones. And i wonder who wants 53 year's worth of the Railway Modeller?

 

Currently quite bright and occasionally sunny but heavy rain promised. Must get pout to the camera shop in reading although it is the pestival this weekend and some more proof reading has arrived plus a list to finalise for DD and work out how to transport it from his to here.

[NGT6 1315]

In the '60s, Rolls Royce were seeking a name for what became the Silver Shadow. They were looking for a worthy successor to Wraith, Dawn, Cloud, and proposed Mist. Agonised "Nooooo!" from the German agent, pointing out that in German, mist means manure!

 

Not quite unlike why the Mitsubishi Pajero is not named thus in the Hispanic regions of the world... I but do wonder what a Spaniard might think upon encountering a foreign tourist who drove to Spain with said car bearing the original name!

[skipepsi]

Bone scraping sounds more painful than 'root canal work'

[gordon s]

Quite heavy, would be an understatement! Loaded up three crates worth and now have numerous carrier bags with 20 or so in each to do. The posture of my car would suggest I have a few cement bags in the back....

 

What I thought was 100-200 is probably over 400.

 

Anyway, nearly done now...and I will feel better for it.

 

Decided my lack of mojo was entirely down to working in a mess, so hence the mass clear out. Boxes of loco's and rolling stock have been spread around the house and out of view, so another weekends work should see the floor of the room clear and work can recommence.

[DDolfelin]

"how to transport it from his to here"

 

Don't worry about that.

I have connections in the Post Office.

We snarl at each other.

[AndrewC]

Once upon a time there was a young Vietnamese girl where I worked. She handled some of the deskside support and equipment deployment. Most of what we used were IBM desktops and Thinkpads. However there were still a lot of old Dell laptops hanging about. In Vietnamese "Dell" means a very rude word beginning with the letter F. Everytime someone referred to a Dell computer she'd burst out laughing. It was several months before she explained why.

 

On that note Thank Dell its Friday!! Just 4 more days on this project. (famous last words as they will probably panic after Sept 1 when they realise they let the contract expire again)

[DDolfelin]

"You'll have to walk to the parcel hatch at the end of the counter - it's patently obvious it won't fit through the Delling glass"

[Tony_S]

We may go to the post office today. Matthew needs some Canadian dollars and the big post office in Tesco is probably the only place near here where they can be obtained over the counter. I'm trying to encourage him not to leave everything to the last minute, as he departs for Calgary next Thursday.

[Sidecar Racer]

Morning all ,

 

the bank holiday weekend has dawned here with the rain , just in time to welcome the influx

of late holiday types , oh' how I chuckle .

 

Today will consist of trying to get the 3 way point done , again , it worked on the test board I

set up but on transfering it to the layout I must have taken a wrong turn , my fault for not doing

it sooner , I think I forgot which motor I called number one and which way the wireing should lay

in relation to the point , forward or rearward , that is the question .

 

Hey ho , have a good one .

[Tony_S]

Matthew had a letter about his student loan from Student Finance today saying they couldn't process his loans for 2012/13 as he was going abroad. He doesn't have a loan and it took about 20 pages of form filling and pressing continue to enter zero. System looks like something designed by someone trying to get their revenge on society!