Alex's even longer post thread.

[Alex]

I was chatting with a friend earlier tonight. She told me that I was possibly the most intelligent person she knew and commented that I often hid it. Not that I agree with her, but I replied that the best thing someone who is smarter than all the people around them can do is let none of them know it.

Got an odd feeling running really strong right now that something very bad is about to happen. I've had it to varying degrees for the past 5 or 6 years, but right now it is burning hot. I am going to put it down to anxiety rather than precognition though. Mind you, I could very well be creating my own bad situation. For the past six weeks, I've been very erratic in taking my meds and tracking my bloods. I guess if I felt anything less than 100% it might be easier to accept whatever diagnosis they gave me.  I keep promising myself that tomorrow I'll start following the regime more, take everything but when tomorrow comes yet again I can't be bothered with this s**t and I do things my own way.

This summer I've been thinking about confronting an old grudge. It is something that has came close several times over the past twenty years of resurfacing. Not dealing with it over the past few years has been a continual class of schedules where things have been missed or conflicted by a matter of days. Six years of missing each other by less than a week. It does mean travelling to my least favourite city in the world and all the problems that could be resolved are other peoples rather than mine so I could just stand back and watch. Do nothing.

Ever had a hero? Some figure that you've idolized. Have they let you down? If so, do they owe you something or is it your own damn fault for putting someone on a pedestal, putting them in a position that they couldn't possibly live up to?

I guess it would be more suitable if all these things were in some way connected, but they aren't. At least not directly.

[Alex]

Another middle of the night and all is quiet. They were doing some exercises earlier on today, but none of it touches us on the night shift. The next two nights I'll be working in my favourite place. Last week I did a D&D session while at work. Not something I ever thought would happen. My first Call of Cthulhu session in many years will be taking place on Sunday and we will be hosting it at our house, which will make a welcome change from playing online.

I am giving serious thought to not running any more online games (although I'll still play them) if I can get in person ones going. That is a hope for the future though and I'll have to see how things go.

After I'd finished last week, I debombed (removed the ammunition from my magazines). I couldn't be bothered unlocking my locker to put the mags back there, so I just put them in my pocket and went home with them. They are my personal issue ones and where I store them isn't a problem, just as long as I don't lose them. Even then, they aren't exactly difficult to replace. Anyway, Kristi was somewhat shocked when she saw them sitting on my desk. I found it vaguely amusing that someone from the US would react that way. This from the woman who was freaked when she saw unarmed police officers (to the point where I'd to take her to an airport so she could see police officers with weapons).

Just had a phone call while I was typing the above. Some guy was phoning to report a glowing green light in the sky. I told him it isn't something we deal with. He kept giving me details and I kept saying "That isn't something we deal with" and he kept trying to give me more information. Eventually I interupted him to say "Look you can keep telling me, but you are wasting your time. I am really not interested and this isn't what we deal with." At that point he put the phone down. I mean if he's seen a flying saucer then great for him, but unless they are trying to get in through the front door without a pass I don't care.

Maybe I should have told him we'd had several reports and in each case the spotters had then reported that they'd been abducted and anally probed, so if that wasn't something he was into then he should run and take cover, especially since the aliens apparently had no concept of lube.

It isn't that I do or don't believe in the possibility of alien life, or that I wouldn't be incredibly interested to find out more about them, its just if its not affecting my work then I don't care when I am on the clock. Right now though if any aliens were to land and ask to be taken to our leaders I'd have to ask them if there wasn't someone else they'd rather chat to. The western world seems to have taken a dip into electing unqualified idiots this centuary. I can't think of one seriously competant western leader in all that time.

[Alex]

My job at camp comes under the police wing. We aren't police ourselves but they are on our chain of command. Since I started working there we've had a number of incidents where we could use support from them. Sometimes they turn up, sometimes we can't get them to even answer the damn phone. Either way, when we do get them quite often we'll get a complaint from their management that their staff might be on call but they are not on duty (whatever the hell that means). There are a lot of things we simply don't have the legal right to do, whereas they can (and indeed it is there job).

Anyway, last night when I arrived at work, there was a police flight sergeant sitting in the office. This is the first time I've seen him in 8 months I've been in this job. He wanted to speak to the entire shift. It turned out that some sweets went missing from police HQ and he wanted to know if any of us had ate them.

Good job whoever it was didn't touch the donuts then.

[Alex]

Last night rolls around again. Kristi is working tomorrow so I'll take Ash to school then find something to fill my day up with.

We've had a lot of rain over the past couple of days which has been a nice break from the hot weather. Helps that I wasn't working outside for it too.  Cops might be getting their sweeties stolen but the planes I am guarding are safe enough. No one is moving around near them. Well done me then. Really makes me feel like I am earning my wage not seeing an airplane being carried off by a bunch of terrorists.

[Alex]

On a random spur-of-the-moment impulse, I added the party overhearing a conversation tonight. What they heard caught their attention and they've decided to investigate further. Now I have to turn the first Conan story I ever read (Tower of the Elephant) into a heist adventure for the party. They've been on the run for over a year now, trying to escape from the mageocracy of Thay having upset one of its ruling wizards and I figure this will give them a nice change of pace.

Then I have Call of Cthulhu to run on Sunday. Guess I'll be spending later today reading the rules and studying the scenario.

Well, I've read the scenario at least. The rules... well not so much. I should be familiar enough with the system to muddle on through.

[Alex]

[Alex]

I've found a hat and frock coat to add to my costume. I just need to find a matching cloak.

Maybe a sword cane too.

I seem to have rekindled Ash's love of music. Since he got into trains he's ignored his instruments, but the other day I picked up one of his ukuleles and started strumming on it in front of him. Immediately he wanted it back and has been using them since. Yesterday when I was about to leave the house, he ran over with two of them in hand, gave me one and insisted we both played along and sang "I've been working on the railroad" before I could get out the house.

Nearly made me late for work but I've come to treasure moments like that. Mind you when your start time is somewhere between 06:00 to 06:45 being late is a bit more fuzzy (I generally arrive at either 06:00 or 06:15 depending on where I'll be on duty so I'd still have been on time. Just late by my standards).

We had a lot of drunks tonight. Couple of beer calls and a top table event. None of them were any trouble to deal with though. Boy have things changed. Kids today... I can't imagine them going out for a couple of drinks and not returning for 3 days. Heh, those were interesting days.

[Alex]

Our local MP has announced that he won't be standing for re-election at the upcoming general election. He's a natural schemer who thought he could make his way to the top position but blew his chance early, had to make a big U-turn and has floundered since. He is the only MP representing the ruling party in Westminster for all of Scotland and as such is also the head of the Scottish party (more or less by default than being qualified for the position). I'd celebrate him going, but I am sure he replacement will be just as much of as a***ole as he's been. Hopefully he won't pull stuff like missing voting on major issues to go referee a football game.

The tories have said if they will they are bringing in a sort of conscription after the election. I doubt they'll win.
Night 3 tonight. The SGF guys I was working with last night were amazed that whenever I was outside I was just in a short-sleeved shirt. It wasn't that cold tbh. Whiney cold-blooded southerners really. Tonight I'll be manning the front desk and then tomorrow night it is up the strat fac again. As soon as I finish I'll be jumping in a taxi and heading down to Edinburgh to go see Chitty Chittty Bang Bang on stage. Hoping that while we are down there we can take Ash to Edinburgh zoo.

I wonder what Ash will make of the march of the penguins? The last time I was there I saw a bunch of people looking at a tiger get a nasty surprise when the tiger turned around and sprayed them all. Gave me a good laugh.

[Alex]

Well, the trip to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang could have went a lot better. There are a lot more explosions in the show than I expected and that did not go down well with Ash. He managed to get through the first half of the show mostly ok, but when the ship launches a barrage of the beach at the end of the first half it really upset him. Then when he found out that it was just a half-time break he was in tears and begging to go home.

We did pick him up a new train which helped him afterwards. It is a struggle, but if we don't expose him to these things then he'll never get used to them. We are trying to teach him that the world simply isn't going to adjust for him and help him. Spent the night in Glasgow and now we are heading back up the road home.

[Alex]

Got a message yesterday telling me that because of a manpower shortage issue they'd to swap me onto nights this set. Normally I like doing nights, but this does mean the concert we'd bought tickets to on Friday night I can no longer go to. What has really p**sed me off though is that they only messaged me via whatsapp rather than calling me to let me know. I don't live by my phone and wouldn't have known about it if a friend hadn't gotten in touch to let me know about it. Kristi had also took a night shift, since she takes her shifts based around what I am scheduled to work which meant we were then scrabbling around trying to find a babysitter. I decided that since work had caused this problem I was going to make it there problem. Walked into work and said "I can either bring Ash to work with me on Saturday, or I can call in sick."

Anyway, I left that with them to sort out for a but. I did manage to sort out a babysitter eventually. I just wanted to let them know, hey if you hit me with this stuff at short notice you might have to deal with the fallout.

I wonder if they will ever do a Conan movie that follows one of the written stories? Watching Conan the Barbarian at the moment. Conan the Destroyer is a mix of several stories thrown in a blender. Barbarian has bits and pieces from the stories here and there. I have no idea where they got the Jason Mamoa one from other than vague bits that might slight have connections to the original stories, but might just be coincidence. Or maybe there is an REH Conan story I've not read yet or forgotten about. Either way I'd like to see one of the stories made into a film rather than just taking the character and some writer thinking that they can do better.

Everytime I see significant changes to a novel when it gets made into a film it strikes me that someone is saying "Yeah, I could have written this story better". Sometimes they can, but it strikes me as being tremendously arrogant to do so. If I go to see the film of a book, I don't expect it to be exactly the same but it would be nice if it could be as close as possible. I'm more accepting of seeing things removed than new things put in. Otherwise just write your own damn book and make a film of it rather than mutilating someone else's work.

Its been a day of very random weather jumping quickly from clear blue skies to torrential downpours and back to blue skies all in a matter of minutes. Strong winds come and then go again. Still, that is Scotland for you. If you don't like the season wait 10 minutes and you'll have an entirely different one soon enough.

Glad I am manning the desk tonight. Hopefully tomorrow night when I am outside it will be a bit drier. Watching the sun going down. It is at the early twilight stage where the world turns a shade of blue. Part of the sky is too dark to make out clouds while the rest has them still silhouetted against the sky. Can't see the moon from where I am.

Saw an advert for an ethically trained AI. Did they discuss philosophy with it? Perhaps they only used fair trade programmers. Just more meaningless buzz words designed to try and sell something? Take your pick. Strikes me as being like claiming some food is grown organically. Well, have you ever tried inorganic food?

[Alex]

Decided tonight to practise a long unused skill. While I was armed guard I'd stay perfectly still. Ok, it is 2 hours in a hut watching a road, not 16 hours lying in a puddle in a wet ditch where the only time you are going to feel any warmth is if you p**s yourself while you wait to see if bad guys are going to wander past your position or not and then when you get out, it has been so cold that when you stretch your flak jacket just snaps in two down your back, but I wanted to see if I could still do it, or if I'd have forgotten the various techniques. And I was really bored. Anyway, I lined up my sights on a target, adopted a comfortable position and off I went. I remembered all the stuff about moving each of the muscle groups that you can move without giving your position away (mostly its wriggling your toes, combined with tensing and relaxing various muscle groups to prevent cramp).

Anyway, at the end of the two hours my weapon was still sighted on the target so I guess I can still do it for a couple of hours at least.

Here is hoping I never need to though lol. It sucks.

Had a bunch of drunks try to wander through the gate while the pass checker was busy, so I got to shout at them (put on my proper dad voice too). They decided at that point to stop and wait. Then again when someone with a loaded gun is shouting at you in an angry voice most people tend to do as they are told. Or be really confused. In the scheme of things it is a minor incident though, If it is the most serious thing I have to deal with though I am not going to complain.

On to the quiet part of the night. The bars have closed, the sections have closed for the night. Between now and when work starts properly, we stand a good chance of not having a single person come through.

[Alex]

Scotland are playing a big match tonight. Football. I have no care in the result, but my oppo is watching it. From what I can see it isn't going well.

Went out to Elgin to meet my mum and sister when they arrived off the train, but the one they were travelling on was delayed so they missed their connection. The next train was announced as having been cancelled so it would have been a few hours before they got here and I needed to get ready for work at some point, so off I headed home. The train that was cancelled turned out to be on so I would have had enough time, but when I discovered this I was already on the way home. Anyway, eventually they got here. While I was sorting out their luggage Ash took it on himself to wander half way across the road so he got in trouble for that. When we got home, Kristi was making dinner when he then decided to stick in finger in the gas ring to see how hot it was. I feel that is a mistake he won't make again. He wasn't badly burned or anything, just a sore finger.

I've been struck with a sudden urge to buy some figures for a period of history that I've never previously been interested in. What is loosely referred to Napolenonic era stuff (although it seems to cover a longer period than those wars specifically). I picked up a regiment of Redcoats from the American War of Independence (someone recently suggested that should have been called the first US civil war. I have no skin in that game though, so no opinion myself, although since America is the name of a continent rather than a country I can't help but think it should be changed a bit). I am looking at buying a set of troops for Rorkes Drift though. I was going to build up the Redcoats tonight but I neglected to pack some glue. There are three boxed sets I'd need to get. One has the outpost itself with a few figures, then you have a British and a Zulu force both seperately. One of the few war films I like. I can watch that one and A Bridge Too Far all day long.