Main Menu

Alex's even longer post thread.

Started by Alex, March 19, 2020, 10:14:15 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Alex

The day started out all grim and grey, but very humid. By the time I finished work it was a gorgeous day. I decided we'd get dinner delivered and have a night off cooking, washing dishes and so on. It was such a nice evening we decided to take a stroll outside afterwards. The sunsets recently have been stunning. Right now it is looking like it is going to be a long, hot summer. No doubt that will bring problems of its own, but for now things are good and we are enjoying life.

It is important at times like these to remember the beauty in the world and enjoy it. Hell, that is important at any time, but especially right now.

From tomorrow restrictions will start to slowly be lifted in Scotland. The government north of the border seems to be getting lots of praise both internally and internationally on how it has dealt with the pandemic so far. Compared to how things are being handled south of the border which is dominated by the PM's closest advisor (who helped write the rules), flaunting them. His actions and the subsequent response from Boris have led to a lessening of trust in the government and its advice. Police have been reporting an increase in people breaking the rules on staying home with no doubt people thinking, well if it is good enough for him, then its good enough for us.

Regrettable, but understandable in the circumstances.

I got an email today about applying for an extension of service. Not something I overly want to do, but with the world economy pretty much in cardiac arrest a steady job and guaranteed income isn't something to be sniffed at either. I can always pull the ejection seat if things recover quickly. My boss reckons they'll offer me a 4-year extension. I am not going for any golden handcuffs on it though. I want the freedom to get out when I've had enough. If I stay in until I am 54 then I'd have spent half my life in the one job and for what ever reason that is not something I want.

Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

After spending yesterday in a very hot office I was just tired for the rest of the day. Crashed out about 22:00ish. It did mean though that I was back up by 04:00. Ash joined me a couple of hours later and Kristi is getting to enjoy a lie-in. Ash is watching Scooby-Doo.

It is a scorching hot day outside, the kind we should only have at the height of summer. Mind you, a couple of weeks ago we had snow. Got another ant invasion, much smaller so far than in previous years, but I've taken the usual steps to stop them coming in the house. A local fast food place was doing a hog roast in the park today, so we popped along to it for a bite and to enjoy the weather. Nice to see that people were keeping the required distances. Be nice when this is all over though. Not that I want to mix with people, but I do like being able to go out when and where I want.

We are watching the space launch. not something that overly interests me, but Kristi likes that kind of thing. To me, it is just too much like my day job lol. Hope it all goes well and everything. I wonder what those G forces feel like though. That has got to be better than any rollercoaster out there.

Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

since i am curious bear, i have to ask, what are the usual precautions against an ant invasion?
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

Putting ant powder down on the entry routes, making sure no food is left sitting out. Stuff like that.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

So trump was (according to reports), secreted away in a bunker while riots went on outside and left shaken.

Having seen something of the security around one of his predecessors I highly doubt the White House was ever in any danger. Not saying the story is true or untrue, it could have been a purely precautionary measure. If he was left shaken by the experience than that is going to be a bad thing just from how he will react to being afraid. He will use increased force, which I suspect will lead to further violence.

A government really shouldn't be afraid of its people and neither should a people be afraid of their government.

People tend to strike out against what they fear. They might live under it for a while, but eventually, they will get tired of being afraid and try and remove the source.

On the government's side you also run the risk that the people you send in to use force will refuse. It was the final nail in the coffin of the Tsars when the military sided with the people rather than its leadership for example. Not that I am expecting to see the US government overthrown in a bloody revolution any time soon.

Oh well, it has just hit the witching hour here. I am off to go and dabble in dark powers that men was not meant to meddle with.

What else would you do with them after all?
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Got a decent days weather for digging today so the third post hole has now been dug for Ash's swing set. This one had less stones, although they were larger ones than the two previous. It started raining or I'd have got the forth dug out. Still, it is stable enough now.

Still Ash loves it and that makes it worth it.

Found a couple of adaptations of Lovecraft's 'The terrible old man' on Amazon. Watching one of them atm. Clearly an amateur effort, but that doesn't mean it won't be any good.

Kristi has gotten a 25% pay raise and it's been backdated four months so she has a bit of money to spend. Going to encourage her to get something for herself with it.

Watching the news again this morning. Well at least it wasn't all Pandemic news I guess. That's about the only good thing I can say about it. Well a peaceful protest was tried and they were told taking a knee was disrespectful and they were ignored. There was time to do something and nothing was done with it. Now you have the consequence. Looks like they are going to deal with the symptoms and not the cause. What has happened before, will happen again.

It truly is the doom of men that they forget.

For us though, life continues as close to normal as it can be, and it is good. Me and Ash are watching some Thomas the Tank Engine. The narrator died a few days ago. I wonder if the joy of kids watching the shows he worked on would be any consolation to him? There are worse legacies one could leave.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

We had a plumber and joiner round to look at the en-suite bathroom floor. Turns out the shower, toilet and whole damn floor needs replaced. Oh, and the main bathroom needs work too.

Glad I don't have to pay for the repairs.

In other news, I've had official notification that I've gotten the post at Lossiemouth I applied for. I think Kristi won't be quite as happy with it as she is now once I start getting sent away. I mean right off there is the 3-month course in England to consider. Doubtless, I'll get that whenever the next major football tournament is on. Every time I get sent on a course there is a football tournament on and England get absolutely hammered in it. The last time was a world cup where the pundits declared that they wouldn't win it, but they were good enough to make the semi-finals.

Yeah, they lost two games (can't remember who against), and drew one match against that powerhouse nation of international football, the USA.

I wouldn't mind either way, but I don't care about football. It bores the hell out of me. But when it is on, it is all most people will talk about.

Working my way through Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Only really watched the first season when it came out and then only caught the occasional episode thereafter.

Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

willow's story over a couple of seasons will choke you up, you're a great deal more empathic than you usually are willing to admit.
  larger rocks? BETTER ROCK GARDEN! *running*
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

Just remember Barri, I can watch the end of Armageddon without getting choked up.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Woohoo, the stuff I ordered at the start of last week so I'd have something to do this week finally turned up.

Nice timing there. Two days left before and I go back to work and all.

The local council decided to try and stop people from crossing over the broken bridge to the east beach. Folks were able to slip through the old barricade too easily. The new one... well here is a picture of it.





My first thought was "Game of Thrones". I wonder if this one will work?

A few years back when many countries swung to the right politically speaking, I thought a lot of people would be in for a rough ride. Not in the way that things have gone, but in the reaction to world events. Situations I would have expected such governments to be able to handle really seem to be totally out of their ability to control. It isn't that these things couldn't to some degree be managed, but instead that the talent, skill or whatever term is most appropriate just isn't there. Many countries are drowning in the ignorance of their leaders. You could sit back and blame those in charge, but at the end of the day, ordinary people voted for these figures, be it in the UK, Brasil, the US, Turkey or where ever so it is their fault for voting for such people. Normally, with them in power, I'd be thinking "Oh well, at least the economy will recover quickly", but right now I have my doubts about their competence to handle what is generally their core strength.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

trump needs those barriers in his fear wall.
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

It has been a frustrating week. One of those ones when you feel like you are fighting against those higher up the chain because they've given you a job to do, but then get in the way of it actually getting done.

It was having 18 months of days like that, that about 12 years ago convinced me that my future did not lie with this employer and that I did not want to get promoted any further.

12 years later and here I am still working for them.

Decided f**k it, I am having a beer or two tonight to chill out. And some bad movies of course.

I submitted the paperwork for extending my contract. Not something I overly want to do, but it does give me a safety net and I want Ash to grow up seeing me having a job, not sitting on my arse living off benefits. I'd like to set a better example than that. I can always drop in my PVR later if I want to get out once I've completed 22 years.

Ash's obsession with Scooby-Doo continues and is coming in handy. When I need to do something and he wants to be climbing over me I can stick it on for an episode and get whatever I need done out of the way, like having a shave, hanging a picture or whatever. He is sitting on my knee watching the first season as I type this.

I saw a post this morning pointing out that there isn't a single white guy in the bible. I'd have to say I don't think that is quite true. After all, you have Roman's in it.

Yup, the bad guys.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

sometimes my nephew in law reminds me of you. my grand nephew had brain decompression surgery for chiari malformation( he's doing well so far) and has a huge scar on the back of his head with staples that have to stay there for years. trev, his dad, got a tattoo with the same scar and staples in support. my first thought was" alex would do that too." :cheers:
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

So last night I woke up in the middle of the night with some pretty heavy stomach pains. All in all it was a rough night.

This morning I find this...





Well, that explains a lot. Not the book itself. Frankly, it reads like stereo instructions.

I do know the reason for the pains though. I hadn't taken my meds for a couple of days and restarting them is always a bad night. You'd think I'd remember to take them and avoid going through this drama, but apparantly not.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.