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Author Topic: Alex's even longer post thread.  (Read 200226 times)
Alex
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« Reply #750 on: January 20, 2023, 05:54:28 AM »

The lure of the weekend is calling, a mere few hours away. Unlike in 60ish days time when my life becomes (temporarily) a permanent weekend (42 working days).  Cheers

Mark wants to plan a leaving do for me. I was asked if there was anyone from outside our office I'd invite. Couldn't think of a single person still in uniform I'd want to. Plenty of folks who have left who I'd be happy to have there. Shame I've either not kept in touch with them, or they live far away. I think I shocked Mark the other day when I told him I missed the pandemic, with all the 'working' from home, spending time with my family and people not having anything that can interfere with our gaming days. Must have been hell on people who hate their families.

22 years of being in this job and I can count the number of people from it that I really give a damn about in it, on my fingers. One of them is out the day before I am.  I have a couple of friends I have kept in touch with since basic training, but mostly I've been happy to let them drift out of my life. I guess I am just not sentimental about these things. Hmm, lets see: Richard, Jamie (both from basic), Scott and Mark (from the boz bay). Maybe Karl. Its a bit soon to tell there I guess since I still work with him. Can't think of anyone else offhand. Got one boss I'd have like kept in touch with, but he doesn't do social media. Might be a few others if I was really to sit down and think about it.

Speaking of Scott, I spoke with him recently. Hoping to go and visit him once I've done my last working day. 

Oh Rev, this might interest you (equally, might not). Some professional body of lawyers looked into the whole D&D OGL and came to the conclusion that everyone should play Call of Cthulhu instead, as lawyers could be the heroes in that game.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2023, 06:33:58 AM by Alex » Logged

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Rev. Powell
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« Reply #751 on: January 20, 2023, 01:12:02 PM »



Oh Rev, this might interest you (equally, might not). Some professional body of lawyers looked into the whole D&D OGL and came to the conclusion that everyone should play Call of Cthulhu instead, as lawyers could be the heroes in that game.

 BounceGiggle
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Alex
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« Reply #752 on: January 21, 2023, 05:19:34 AM »

Through the week I found myself actually being hands-on, on a jet. I don't often get to work on them directly anymore. Before its withdrawal from service, I knew the Tornado inside out. There wasn't a bit of avionics kit on that aircraft or that could be attached to it, that I wasn't fully qualified in. I knew how to read the wiring diagrams, track down faults and fix them. When I was doing some stuff on the Typhoon, because I've not done what is called a Q course, we had a someone who had done one working with us. I was chatting away with him and asking what they (Typhoons) were like to work on and how fault finding on them was. He was telling me about how they basically hook it up to a computer and it tells the techies what is wrong and how to fix it.

Made me feel old and out of touch. I liked figuring out what was wrong with stuff and fixing it properly. Mind you, I got to do that a lot more in bays than on squadrons. When I was on the Dambusters, it was a case of when a fault was reported, someone would say "Ok, that is normally this thing that is wrong. Take that box out, put a new one in. If that doesn't fix it, then change this other thing instead" and so on. You didn't really learn the system as much as just learn a rote list of black boxes to remove and replace.

All part of why being 1st line was the least favourite part of my career.

165 days left to go until I am out, but only 42 of them are going to be in uniform. The rest is going to be leave and resettlement.

It is all going towards convincing me I am doing the right thing by leaving. I am no longer the future of the airforce. I fulfilled my ambitions for it and I am leaving on my own terms. Ultimately, no matter how much you put into the military, there simply comes a time when it doesn't need or want you anymore. I am getting to leave on my own terms. My friend Jamie who joined up at the same time as me is terrified of leaving. I think he'll do alright though.

Wonder if the buggers will be cheeky enough to recall me. They have 6 years in theory when they can do that.
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Alex
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« Reply #753 on: January 23, 2023, 03:30:11 PM »

I made progress on the stuff dealing with Gina's will. On the one hand I've been slacking there, but on the other I've had lots of other things to do and had to redo work I'd already done when I discovered 2 more bank accounts with significant amounts of money in them.

I think I mentioned about my polar bear excuse for not getting into work. I said to my boss at work about it and he said if I could show him a photo that wasn't some photoshop job on a polar bear on my car with snow, that he would accept it as a legitimate excuse for me to stay home.

Voila.



The car, if anyone is curious is a model of an amphibious German car from WW2.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2023, 11:38:10 AM by Alex » Logged

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Alex
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« Reply #754 on: January 24, 2023, 11:37:55 AM »

It is oh so quiet, so quiet and still.

Been a busy day up until now. For only the second time in my career, I got to see one of our seniors show some real guts and knowing make a decision that could come back to haunt him. It needed to be made though. They've left it a bit late in the day though for that particular cadre to impress me. Everything has been dealt with now though and I am alone in the office.

Got close to having to make a decision myself on whether or not to make a stand that could cost me my pension. If I didn't it would have had serious negative effects on people elsewhere. Fortunately, when it came to the crunch, I didn't have to. Just as well, because for the first time in my career, I was seriously considering not making that stand. My brain kept telling me I was too close to getting my pension to throw it away now. Would I have been disappointed in myself when in the future I looked back had I decided not to make waves? Honestly, I don't know. The human brain is wonderful at providing all sorts of petty justifications for all sorts of actions that we really should regret. I guess I will just have to be satisfied that it didn't come down to that. I do think in the end, I know which position I'd have taken though. It just might have taken more thought than usual to get there.

I just need to make it until mid/late March without having to make one of those decisions now.

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ER
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« Reply #755 on: January 24, 2023, 07:19:32 PM »

It is oh so quiet, so quiet and still.

Been a busy day up until now. For only the second time in my career, I got to see one of our seniors show some real guts and knowing make a decision that could come back to haunt him. It needed to be made though. They've left it a bit late in the day though for that particular cadre to impress me. Everything has been dealt with now though and I am alone in the office.

Got close to having to make a decision myself on whether or not to make a stand that could cost me my pension. If I didn't it would have had serious negative effects on people elsewhere. Fortunately, when it came to the crunch, I didn't have to. Just as well, because for the first time in my career, I was seriously considering not making that stand. My brain kept telling me I was too close to getting my pension to throw it away now. Would I have been disappointed in myself when in the future I looked back had I decided not to make waves? Honestly, I don't know. The human brain is wonderful at providing all sorts of petty justifications for all sorts of actions that we really should regret. I guess I will just have to be satisfied that it didn't come down to that. I do think in the end, I know which position I'd have taken though. It just might have taken more thought than usual to get there.

I just need to make it until mid/late March without having to make one of those decisions now.


Eyes on the Prize, bro, Eyes on the Prize....
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Alex
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« Reply #756 on: January 25, 2023, 10:22:46 AM »

A more even day at work today. Did the monthly task that now consists of our main workload since programming was removed from our section and now it is currently rolling along quietly. I am trying to do what is called clearing, which is a lot of signatures I need to get to leave, but they've changed it from being a paper thing to an online thing and the online thing is broken with no alternative system seemingly in place.

Sounds like normal practice then.

Mark's wife just walked into our office, had a gripe about her working conditions and then announced she wants to quit. Can't say I blame her. We get 2 applicants for every available job, so we can get people with no problem. Keeping them in once they find out what it is really like is the problem. As long as the bean counters see we have people coming in, they don't care. The issue we have on the ground though is the lack of experienced personnel, which the higher-ups don't see. Once you get someone in through the door, it takes a couple of months to get them through basic training, then (for a technical trade), you then have about a year of learning the theory, knowledge and skills needed before you get to go out and touch aircraft. Once you are on them, it takes another year to eighteen months before that person is really experienced enough on the platform to really be effective.

Still, about 2 months to go and it will no longer be my problem.

If I can get cleared anyway...
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ER
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The sleep of reasoner breeds monsters. (sic)


« Reply #757 on: January 25, 2023, 12:02:36 PM »

I remember in those last months on my job I was so paranoid that something would come up or I'd do something to screw it up and lose retirement that it got to be like a complex. They weren't out to get me, mostly the feeling is when you reach that stage you've earned it, and they even let me undertake some instruction work that I otherwise probably would not have been the obvious choice to do, just to run out the clock, but deep down I was fatalistically certain I was going to mess it up somehow. Wait til you get to the golden day, though, it'll feel like....well I was going to say euphoria, but if you're like me a sense of dread and shock will likely also factor in.  (OMG it's all over...OMG I am losing a third of my pay...OMG I'm so unconnected now...) For twenty-five years of my life I worked for those unethical bloodsuckers, and I delight in spending their pension money every month.....
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Alex
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« Reply #758 on: January 28, 2023, 04:44:56 PM »

It was interesting. I think the person who took the decision wasn't high enough to take it, but fair play to him for doing it.

Relaxing into the weekend. The most I did today really was watching more Deep Space 9. Somewhere in season 6, so not long to go now. Wish I could say I was really enjoying it, but it has become something I am determined to work my way through the whole of.

Babylon 5 did it better.
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Alex
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« Reply #759 on: January 30, 2023, 03:47:11 PM »

Had a load of work come in. Ended up working through lunch to get it done. I didn't have to. I could just have gone for lunch, finished it up tomorrow and handed the stuff out a bit later. I guess that showed to some degree I still care about getting my job done, and am not just totally focused on getting out the door.

I guess that is a good thing.

While I was working, I was also chatting with two friends on Discord. Both of them live quite far away and both are suffering from mental health issues, one of them I think quite seriously. I was worried enough about him to recommend he phone The Samaritans. I'd to explain they weren't just for people who are suicidal. Anyway, I gave him a bunch of places he can get professional help from as I think his problems need someone who is better qualified than me. I am keeping in regular contact with him and doing what I can.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2023, 02:04:25 AM by Alex » Logged

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Alex
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« Reply #760 on: February 02, 2023, 03:49:45 PM »

It has been a very busy week, but I think we are over it now. Hopefully, Friday will be a more settled day.

I had to go around the sqns, delivering some discs. I went over to 2 sqn first. Now, because of the security level of these discs, transferring them involves some paperwork. Since there were a lot of discs, it means sitting with someone and individually transferring them from one book to the other. We were almost finished when the 2 sqn guy ran out of room in his secure book. Since they were a bit busy I offered to give him a lift over to SHQ to collect a new book. His management agreed, but when they'd left the room he confessed to me he didn't have all of his uniform with him (this is a breach of regs and technically I should have reported him for it), but I said I'd drop him off at his room and he could pick the stuff up.

Fair enough, all is simple so far. I asked him what block he was in and when I told me I said "Oh that is the first block I was in when I first arrived on camp, back in 2003. "It would be funny if you were in my old room," I said. Yeah, he was in my old one. I chuckled and told him the story behind the damage to the wall above his sink (I was sitting watching of all things, Drilla Killa, when someone in the block next door accidentally drilled all the way through the wall into my room). He offered to show me the room and I said yeah, thinking it would bring back a whole bunch of memories and make me feel all nostalgic. It was pretty much the same room as before. Bigger than I remembered I guess, but in the end of the day it was just another room and looking at it, it didn't feel any different from looking at somewhere I'd never seen before.

He did make me feel really old though. I mentioned I was leaving in about 6 weeks and he started asking me about my career. I mentioned about me starting phase 2 training on September the 11th 2001, and how I'd never forgot that day and he asked me "Why, what happened that day?". Turns out he was born in 2001.

I didn't tell him why I am leaving though. Figured he was just at the start of his career (he'd only arrived here in September out of training himself), and seemed quite keen. My increasing sense of detachment from the mob is my own problem to deal with. I did go to a job fair today though. It was the local council recruiting. I figured I go and see what jobs they had available. What they were recruiting for though was things like being a school dinner cook, or care assistants, or fixing street lamps. All worthy jobs, but I rapidly came to the conclusion that what I was really looking for was an office job. I've done my time working outdoors, I've worked fixing things, I've worked shooting at people. I want something ordinary, and in the warm indoors.

I had a couple of dreams recently that were just about entirely ordinary things and kitchen sink drama. I guess that was my brain trying to tell me this it what it wanted now. Enough with adventures. I haven't felt the urge to go do something reminiscent of my wilder days since Ash was born. Having a family is my new adventure and I am satisfied with it.
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Alex
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« Reply #761 on: February 04, 2023, 12:36:24 PM »

Took Ash out for the day. We were going to just go for a walk around the town, take him to some play parks and let him run about a bit. We decided just to jump on the bus and go into Elgin though. Picked up a few minor presents for our 10th anniversary in a few days. Our major present to each other is that we are going to see Weird Al live on that day. I got some custom-made tee shirts for us and picked her up some lord of the rings figures, chocolates and whatnot. 10 years ago today, I'd have been getting the flight over to the US. Hell, I'd have been 8 hours into the 14-hour flight.

Anyway, we had breakfast in a local cafe and wandered around a little. I Gave Kristi is a bit of a break from having him always around her (I thought she got that when he was at pre-school, but hey).

On the bus some guy asked if I was Ash's grandparent. That is the third time someone has asked me that. I guess being married has aged me horribly.
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Alex
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« Reply #762 on: February 05, 2023, 05:44:16 PM »

Watching a video on how to play The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31. At 2 1/4 hours long it is longer than the film. We had a games day today and had planned on playing it, but the rules weren't laid out in the best way, so I said I'd watch a playthrough and we'd go through it next time.

We did to play one of the many games called Judge Dredd (Ian Livingstone's for anyone who knows the difference) which I managed to win by arresting more deadly criminals than anyone else, and the original version of Ticket to Ride, where I managed a decent second, which surprised me as the two train journeys I'd to complete were basically running along the northern edge of the US more or less (Portland to Montreal), and then going on the southern edge (Los Angeles to Miami). I managed to complete them both in a roundabout way (had to go from  LA to Portland to Montreal and then down to Miami, getting one very long route), but it wasn't enough to defeat Kristi who always beats me at that game.
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Alex
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« Reply #763 on: February 06, 2023, 10:08:11 AM »

Well, I logged into our admin system today and after some working things out, I put in the last of my annual leave. Combined with the other types of leave I have, my last day in uniform is the 17th of March.

6 weeks to go until that day.

I still don't feel anything about leaving most of the time, interspaced with occasional concerns regarding where we will end up living. There just aren't many places in Lossiemouth that are available. There are a couple of houses I am looking at, but that depends on what jobs we get in the meantime.

I do see a house I'd consider at a mere £220,000, which is mid-price range for a three-bedroom for this area. On the other hand, I could pick up somewhere that doesn't look quite as nice for £140,000, put down a £40,000 deposit and pay it off at just over £1,000 a month for ten years (assuming an interest rate of 5.5%). My pension should pay around £800 of that. Choices, choices, choices.

Part of a random conversation today that should hopefully make you chuckle.



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Alex
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« Reply #764 on: February 08, 2023, 06:01:02 AM »

I put up on FB about the official date for me no longer being in uniform. My friends in the US military were asking when the leaving ceremony is. Leaving ceremony? The closest we get to something like that is a section get-together. We go out, have a meal, some drinks and a (traditionally) embarrassing speech is made, but there is nothing official, no handshake from the SCO or anything. I'd hate it if there were, it would mean I'd need to get into my dress uniform.

Planned out the leaving do yesterday. I finish on a Friday, so we'll go down there afterwards and that will be it.

I wonder how Trevor is doing with his retirement. I still think he should join me in an old folks home where we can wave our walking sticks in the air and yell at young people passing by. RC could come over and give us lessons  BounceGiggle

I have to get signatures from a whole bunch of departments for leaving. They've moved this online, but the app doesn't work, so I messaged them to say "Hey, I have 6 weeks left until I am out the door. How do I clear?" All of a sudden the powers that be have decided to reintroduce the paper version. Ah, the number of times I've seen this, where they bring in a new computer system and then ditch the old way of doing things before making sure the new one works, and then have to frantically back pedal and recreate the original system.
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