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Alex's even longer post thread.

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

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Alex

Today I built a stone bridge, bunker, pub, house, boat house (including a jetty and a couple of boats), a barn, and an ordinary house.

Meanwhile, the two guys who are replacing my shower and toilet have been working for two days and still aren't finished yet.

Seeesh.

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

Alex

My "Do not give a f**kometer" is reaching unheard of heights. Someone at work is going to cause a lot of problems at work and it was being discussed. When I was expected to contribute to the conversation I would happily reply "I am not going to be here to deal with it, I don't care."

This phrase was repeated several times during the conversation.

At one point I got up out of my seat, walked over to Kev and started rubbing his shoulder. When he asked what the hell I was doing I said "Rubbing it in that I am not going to be here to deal with this s**t."

Decided to back a post-apocalyptic roleplaying game someone is working on. I normally do not back first time projects, but this was only £30. If it falls through I can afford to lose it. For the level of the pledge I've provided I get to have a name in the credits. Figuring I'll put Ash's name in, only I'll do his full-length name.

QuoteManiacs of WW2.

Frankly, I enjoyed the war. The totally crazy story of Victoria Cross hero who tore off his own fingers, lost an eye, was shot in the head & still went back for more



Some men are just born for war and are never truly happy outside of it.

Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart is one such person. Born in Belgium, he shuttled back and forth between there and England. He attended boarding school in England. From there, he went on to college, although not for long. On October 11, 1899, ongoing tensions between the Dutch and the British in South Africa exploded with the Second Boer War.

Although barely 20, Wiart dropped out of school to join the British Army. He claimed to be 25 and enlisted under the name "Trooper Carton." He was shot in the stomach and groin and sent back to England. That was when his family found out he had become a dropout, and his father was not happy.

Wiart held no grudge against the Dutch. He claimed if the British had not taken him, he would have fought for the other side.

He later joined the Second Imperial Light Horse and was sent back to South Africa. By September 1901 he was a second lieutenant in the 4th Dragoon Guards. With the Dutch defeat in May 1902, Wiart spent some time in India before he was sent back to South Africa in 1904. Two years later, he became a naturalized British subject.

Wiart held no grudge against the Dutch. He claimed if the British had not taken him, he would have fought for the other side.

He later joined the Second Imperial Light Horse and was sent back to South Africa. By September 1901 he was a second lieutenant in the 4th Dragoon Guards. With the Dutch defeat in May 1902, Wiart spent some time in India before he was sent back to South Africa in 1904. Two years later, he became a naturalized British subject.

During the Second Battle of Ypres (April to May 1915), his left hand was mangled by an artillery barrage. The doctor insisted he could save some of it, but Wiart could not wait – two fingers gave him so much pain he bit them off. Bowing to the inevitable, doctors at Shield's amputated the entire hand.

It was during the Battle of the Somme he got the Victoria Cross; Britain's highest military award. Wiart was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 4th Dragoon Guards, Gloucestershire Regiment at La Boiselle. From July 2 to 3, 1916, he held his ground despite the loss of three other battalion commanders; as well as part of his skull and ankle.

It did not end there. He was also shot in the hip at the Battle of Passchendaele (July to November 1917).  What remained of his left ear was shot of at the Battle of Arras (April to May 1917), and he was shot in the leg at the Battle of Cambrai (November to December 1918).

Despite everything, he later said, "Frankly, I enjoyed the war."

He then became second-in-command of the British-Poland Military Mission. One of his jobs was to broker peace between the Poles and everyone else during the Polish-Soviet War, the Polish-Ukrainian War, Polish-Lithuanian War, and the Czech-Polish Border Conflicts.

The Mission failed. Worse, his plane crashed in Lithuania where he became a guest at one of their prisons. Later released, he pleaded with Churchill (then Secretary of State for War) to help the Poles.

In August 1920, he was returning to Warsaw when his train was attacked by the Red Russian cavalry, resulting in a gun battle. Although he fell off the train, he did get back on again with no serious injuries, so Shield's must have missed him.

Wiart retired from the military as a Major General in December 1922 to a country estate in Poland close to the Soviet border. Until WWII broke out.

The joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland forced him to lead the Mission he had retired from to neutral Romania. Along the way, a German plane killed one of his staff; leaving him miraculously unscathed.

Romania was not safe either, so he returned to Britain and active service, becoming an Acting Major-General in November 1939. In April 1940, he led an Anglo-French attack on the Norwegian town of Nasmos where his plane was shot at by a German aircraft. Their ultimate goal was Trondheim, but they had to retreat.

He was sent to Northern Ireland to prepare for a German attack on May 5, 1940 – his 60th birthday. It was only then it was realized he was too old. He was made the head of the British-Yugoslavian Military Mission on April 5, 1941, but never made it.

His plane crashed, and instead, he became a guest of the Italians. He tried escaping several times and got away once before they caught him eight days later. He was finally released in August 1943 when the Italians switched sides to join the Allies.

By October, he had become Churchill's personal representative to China where he met Mao; whom he did not like. He much preferred Chiang Kai-shek who offered him a job with his government. Wiart was now 66, so he finally retired in October 1947 as a Lieutenant-General.

On his way back to Britain, he stopped by Rangoon, Burma where he fell and broke his back. During the operation, Shield's doctors took out some shrapnel that had been there from previous skirmishes.

Typically, he survived and spent his remaining years in Ireland where he truly retired on June 5, 1963, at the age of 83.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

At some point in their lives, everyone reaches the moment when they have lived more days than they have left. Shame we have no way of knowing where our half past life moment is. Would people spend their days differently if they knew how much time they had left, or would they still spend them just as unwisely as they do now?

Playing Fallout 3 again and trying once more to do something I've never managed to achieve in any previous playthrough. Get into the broken off part of Rivet City. Actually found the way in this time. I just need to max out my lockpicking skill now to get through a damn locked door.

Ash decided he was ready for bed tonight. I was sitting with him and Kristi in the living room and he came over, took my hand and pulled until I stood up. He then took me into the kitchen and gave me one of his bottles. After I'd filled it with milk he took my hand again and went upstairs where he tried to climb into his cot.

Not going to complain about that. I do wish we could get him to work on words though.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

It has been an emotionally exhausting day today, and for reasons, I will no doubt discuss in a later post. There are a couple of things going on, both of which will most likely turn out to be ok (90%+), but we still need to do various things and find out more and then figure out what the next step is from there. Kristi is going to have to stay home for the next couple of weeks, but I still going to go down and visit my family for a few days and take Ash with me. The things I need to sort out I can do via phone and it doesn't matter if I am here or not, but she is going to need to stay local alas.

I've been listening to audiobooks of old Conan stories recently. Moving onto ones written by other authors at the moment.

I know I still have another week in work to go, but it felt like my last real day today.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Off to see the family tomorrow. It's been a long time since we were last able to get together. Long time to be wearing a mask for the train journey down, but that is the way things have to be alas.

Had a game of Bolt Action with Kristi last night. She is starting to get the hang of it. She had a big ass howitzer that for the start of the game she was trying to take my tank out with, and failing. Then she tried firing at one of my infantry units and started doing some serious damage with it. It was a simple meeting engagement scenario, and by that point, I had wiped out 4 of her units to the loss of only one of mine. I was sweeping her American's off the board until she managed to call in an airstrike which wiped out my light mortars and paralyzed the centre of my army (they all decided to keep their heads down. I did manage to recover and my flanks kept advancing. Still won, but her skills are improving and I can see her giving me a serious challenge in the future. My tank and sniper unit both spent the entire game failing to hit or kill anything. That was a bit frustrating.

I wonder if Kayne West will campaign under the slogan "Yes We Kayne!"?

Ash is refusing to sleep. He is going to be a little bear tomorrow. Oh yay!
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

i hope everything turns out well, dear heart....
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

Against my better judgement I let myself get dragged into an argument on a science page. There aren't many times you'll see christians, muslims and buddists all agreeing. The subject was evolution. I ended up going head to head with one guy who believes that everything on earth is designed for humans and everything is beneficial to them and that is why we are here while dinosaurs aren't. I asked what about diseases, parasites, hurricanes, poisons and so on. His answer was that this weeded out the weaker people and made the race as a whole stronger. That made me laugh as I pointed out that this was evolution. I also pointed out that the age of the dinosaurs lasted a whole lot longer than we've been on the earth and we are yet to prove ourselves able to last as long as them. I suppose I could have also pointed out that we still do have creatures from back then still alive, or that I could make an argument that an equal argument that the world was designed for rats, cockroaches or any number of other species that outnumber humans and prosper regardless of our hostility towards them.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Nice to see someone who deserves it being knighted today. Makes a change from the ones who get it for being rich and famous.

Think Ash had a sugar high today. Spent several hours being a climbing frame for him. Then he crashed and crashed hard.

I was randomly reading various webpages. Came across one with expats from the US talking about their home country vs their new one. While they had a lot of accounts, it was hardly enough to be conclusive. I only read the page to compare it to Kristi's views. All of them said that things were better overseas, with the primary reason being affordable healthcare. That I more or less expected. Second was people being fed up with the politics and the final mossy commonly mentioned reason was not having to live in fear of guns. Most of the people also expressed surprise about how much wider their view of the world had became since they'd moved. All of them said though that they wouldn't give up their US citizenship. From what Kristi has said I guess she'd agree on the healthcare, guns and citizenship, although she has decided to go for full U.K. citizenship. In an uncertain world it doesn't seem like a bad option. Personally I'd favour Canadian or Australian passports. I like the big, wide open spaces they have.

It has been wet weather down here. Not really been able to do much, but we've got to see each other and my mum has got a chance to spend time with Ash. She taught him how to jump in puddles (a Corbett family tradition).

The lockdown is cautiously being lifted. Scotland managed 7 days with no Covid related deaths. I wonder if people will remember the shops that tried to profiteer on hand sanitiser, the ones that abandoned their workers and which ones did their best to held their community out. There are a few local businesses that have gained or lost our patronage based on their actions. The local cinema that decided it was going to ignore recommendations and stay open until it was forcibly closed and then started posting 5G conspiracy theories on its webpage has definitely lost our custom.

Early start tomorrow. Mind you, I had an early start this morning when Ash woke up crying at 4 am. I took him into bed with me. He pulled the quilt up over his head and went to sleep until half seven. Unfortunately I was stuck awake. It was unusual for him to go to sleep beside us. Then again, Kristi doesn't let him burrow under the covers.

The newest Fantastic Four movie is on the tv. Not watched it before.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

i think i want to find a nice cave house somewhere that has a frontipiece for windows...with shutters that look like the mountain.   i'm starting to feel the need to hide for awhile... i hate that.
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

#159
Many people all over the world are showing they are indeed a special breed right now Barri. Unfortunately it's the ones making things worse who shout the loudest and get the most attention. From what I hear Twitter is especially full of them.

Today is apparently the anniversary of the first known spree killing in the US. It was carried out using an axe rather than a gun and the perpetrator was later found dead, although no one knows who killed him.

Watching Saturday morning tv whole we wait until it's time to go home. I never liked the cheaper looking animated shows as a kid, and that is all there seems to be on now.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Continuing to try and work my way through all the seasons of Buffy.

Man, but does the music in that show date the 90's or what?

In an odd kind of mood where I am hungry, but I just am not feeling like eating anything. Lovely weather here. Hoping the family all quit napping soon so we can all go out and enjoy some of it.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

I've been playing a variety of games on my phone. At the moment I am terraforming Mars. Its a game without conflict, so not my usual kind of thing. It is interesting trying to balance all the various elements required to make the planet livable.

If we can't balance our own eco-system I am not sure we could ever manage to balance another one. Hell, climate scientists are still stumbling over what the effects are of what we've done so far. This summer was supposed to be the hottest ever, but they haven't learned from the incorrect predictions about the rising sea levels in the '90s that it isn't as simple as polar ice melts and sea levels go up. So far it seems to be more extreme weather events becoming more common, making parts of the planet less hospitable for us. I've seen our weather patterns change in my lifetime and yet there are still those obtuse enough to deny it is happening.

Not sure if I find that more funny or tragic.

I've been hearing people worrying about the rapid decline of Covid-19 anti-bodies leaving people vulnerable to reinfection recently. Much like the eco-system, it is more complicated than people think. If this is something you are worried about, or if you just like science, try reading this http://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/could-covid-19-immunity-really-disappear-months/614377/. Or just pretend you saw a meme or tweet that said it's going to be ok and you believed it. Will save you reading through the whole thing and from what I see in the world, it is how many people seem to get their 'facts'.

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

Alex

Just got some good news. Kristi had a bit of a scare and had to go into hospital, but having been checked out we can confirm that she doesn't have cancer. We didn't think she did have, but she had some of the symptoms and the local doctor wanted her checked out just to be on the safe side. Still, it is one less thing to worry about.

She and our friend Karen have gone up to Aberdeen hospital today. Somehow on the way back they've gotten a bit lost of have ended up at Primark. Woman + woman = clothes shopping it seems.  :bouncegiggle:

Amazing how life has thrown up so many ways for it to end. Very few of them are pleasant ways to go either. Another kick in the face of the idea that everything was created by a benevolent deity. I'll give him plus points for cats (although if they weren't so cute looking people would realise what vicious bastards the little furballs really are), but on the other hand, he or she missed out dragons which is a really big mistake in my book.

Speaking of cats, in a few weeks we'll be getting a new one. There are a bunch of newborn kittens and we've bought one of them. It is still too young to be picked up yet. I always feel bad taking a kitten away from its family, but such is the way the world works.

Feeling much more relaxed now Kristi is home safe. She is in a bit of pain from the tests and doubtless will be for a few days, but she is going to be fine.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

chefzombie

THANK YOU HIGHER POWERS! i'm SO glad she's okay, AND that you're getting a kitty!  :cheers:
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

Back to work today. All I have to do is make it through 5 days and I am out of there.

Don't particularly feel like doing even that little.

I am glad I am heading off to a new job as work hours return to normal. I think it will make things easier mentally. Hoping to be mostly watching the new guys working and just assisting them if they get stuck, but we shall see how it goes. Couldn't get to a decent sleep last night. Wasn't feeling worried or having the Sunday night blues that so many of my co-workers seem to suffer from, but tiredness just wasn't there. I dozed a little and that will be enough to get me through. On the plus side, normally when you go on leave normally you come back to find you've been stiffed with whatever random extra duties come up like guard. With a week left I should hopefully be immune to that.

Saw some artwork where horror films had been mixed up with Disney cartoons. My favourite is Cinderella crossed with Carrie.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.