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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

Heading up to the hospital today for them to see how much Ash's hand has improved. Nice day for the journey. Hopefully it will be decent weather up there, as when it is raining Aberdeen is about the most depressing city in the world to be in. It's all the granite buildings. There is some wonderful architecture there but man is it ever the wrong colour.

Got a message from my old work place saying the boss changed a couple of sentences on my assessment and can I log in and confirm if I am happy with them right away. Well, no I can't. I am on a bloody train not at work. There is always stuff like this. You do a report, your higher up reads it and because he prefers it written a different way you have to change this part and that part. Means the same damn thing, just someone thinks writing it another way sounds better.

In the end if the day though it comes down to what the final person reading it thinks, not any of the intermediaries. I once spoke to someone who'd been an assessor on our promotion boards. He told me that they didn't even read the comments parts, they just look at the scores at the side.

Whole lot of needless bother if you don't care. Still we do love our red tape (that's the royal we).

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

Alex

Spent most of yesterday in Aberdeen. Ash had a checkup on his hand. The docs have said yup he is going to need surgery. They want to wait until he is old enough to be able to do the physio exercises that will be required afterwards, but before he goes to school so we've to come back in a year.

My 2nd Reporting Officer finished his input to my assessment today, so got briefed with that. Took longer to walk over than to read through it lol (there is a maximum of 500 or 750 characters, can never remember which). It was all good stuff. Apparantly I am a stalwart.

Ordered some more figures today for D&D. One of them is perfect for who Kristi wants to play, although this may change as she has went into meltdown after discovering that making up new characters can be fun. I have no idea how many characters she has rolled up now, but she has twice had to print out more stacks of sheets after using up all the ones I had spare.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Was supposed to go driving today at work, but the guy I was supposed to be driving was doing a course and the car I was supposed to be driving, someone else had taken anyway. I wouldn't complain, but I will now be driving tomorrow afternoon when I should have finished work and enjoying the start of my weekend.

Oh well, as long as I get paid either way I do not care. Got two backdated pay rise, which amounted to an extra £800 (a bit over $1000). Of course, the taxman takes a chunk out of that (about half). What they give with one hand is waiting to be taken off with the other.

My pro-trump workmate, Mark was telling me about how some independent group of journalists had uncovered massive voter fraud in the US operating under Project Veritas. I thought that sounded familiar although I couldn't place the name. A little bit of research led to the guy that had founded that group and his long history of faked news. Not the first time in the short time I've been working there that Mark has given me some supposidly earth shattering news only for it to fall to pieces at the slightest investigation.

Then again, he is hardly the only person doing that and they all seem to support the same guy.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Went out shopping for a few xmas presents today. The plan was to give Kristi a break and take Ash out for the day and I figured I might as well get some shopping done while she couldn't see what I am buying. Ash picked out a present for her and I got a couple of extra bits and pieces. I also popped into our local games store with the firm intention of buying exactly the figures I needed for my D&D game.

Yeah, that might not have went exactly to plan. I now have a figure of a gorilla that would be about 20 feet high that I somehow need to figure out a way to fit into my game of subterfuge and intrigue. I've not started painting him yet, although I have been working on the base. Alongside him are a couple of other figures just to give you an idea of the scale.





I'd make a stop motion movie if the figures could be moved. More of a Mighty Joe Young than a King Kong 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 seems odd at the moment for the country not be really be engaged in a war. Oh sure we are doing stuff over in Syria still, but it isn't like we have people on the ground. Everything is done from a distance.

Which I guess is the easiest way to kill people anyway. There is a good reason why the mortar was so deadly in WW2.

Anyway, we are almost always fighting somewhere in the world. I can't imagine it will be too long before we get officially involved in some place or another (and that is only counting the regular stuff, never mind what special forces or the intelligence services get up to). When I signed up, I figured 3 wars and I'd be done. We are now on what, 5 I think. I wonder what direction number 6 will come from? Can't help but think if anyone was going to hit Iran or North Korea it would have happened by now. Rarely seems to be the one you expect it from though.

For a while now I've been considering the pro's and con's of counting serious cyber attacks as an act of war. That all depends how well you can track them back to source though, but since some of those strikes can do more damage to a national economy than a bombing raid I think nations should start taking a tougher line on them.

Oh well, that's one for the politicians to decide anyway.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Rumour has it that the casting for the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series involves being prepared to be naked in group situations.

Not sure I remember any orgy scenes in LotR or The Hobbit. Maybe Silmarilion though. Never did finish that book.

Speaking of books, I finished the final novel by my favourite author. Alas it was something of a disappointment. Towards the end you find out who one of the people living in luxary, but as a prisoner in a castle is, and at that point it lost me, which is a shame as it was holding my interest well up until that point.

Oh well, time to start another new novel.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

#231
So I think I've picked up/ordered/got in my head everything I need to get Kristi for this year's Saturnalia. Her big present is going to be a computer, although she vacillates between a desktop or laptop (one of the things in my head, I'll be ordering it next month). My boss is a leatherworker, so I've commissioned a cover for her Kindle with an appropriate Harry Potter theme from him, a couple of American tanks for her WW2 army (Sherman Crocodile and a Stuart), a Highlander board game (which I doubt she'll play but she loved the look of), one of the Ticket to Ride games, a Nightmare before Xmas carousel (which if it arrives in time might become a Samhain gift instead), Harry Potter snowglobe. I also commissioned a professionally painted figure for her to use in the next D&D campaign, although when it arrived I decided I'd need to do some work on it, so I've based it and added to the paint job (which irritates me given how much I'd to pay for it, won't be using that guy again). I am also going to get her a Harry Potter train thing.

Normally I'd get her tickets for us to go to something (she likes presents that make memories and involve going to do/see something rather than possessions, but with the whole pandemic thing there isn't any guarantee that we'd get to go to anything and given how many years these things have taken to run there course historically (even if modern medicine comes up with a cure tomorrow, it will still take time to get out there). She did say she'd like to take a trip out to the isle of Arran for her birthday. I used to go there a lot for hillwalking, cannoing and sailing. Even took a tent over a few times with a friend and went camping on it for some long weekends. Lovely place to visit if you like that kind of thing. Some good sites of bronze age forts too. I went to school with a guy whose ancestors had been the last people to be banished from the island for sheep stealing. Wonder what ever happened to Eric? In addition to being a descendent he also played lead guitar in a rock band. Pretty sure he never made it as a muscian. He passed up on too many opportunities and I don't think was ever that dedicated. Last time I seen him he was playing in a jazz outfit and working as a postman.

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

chefzombie

you're a really good hubby, as well as a good dad, alex. and a good friend, even if you do torture me any chance you get.  :cheers:
don't EVEN...EVER!

Alex

Kristi's family has a tradition of giving christmas ornaments on the day after Thanksgiving. Decided to join in this year and make one for my good lady wife. Not all the parts have arrived, and I am still painting up the stuff that has made it, but here is what I have so far. The Dwarf Santa model is about 20mm tall (two-thirds of an inch for those parts of the world still stuck on metric). I would have paid for it to be done professionally and look much better, but after the last figure, I bought her that way turned out to be a disappointment I figured I'd just do it myself.

Anyway, waiting on the stuff I've used for the snow to dry, then I'll stick some matt varnish over the top and glue the figures on. I've ordered a tiny tree that can be added on and I'm currently looking for something I can make small boxes out of to use as presents around the tree. Just found some tiny presents the right size and have ordered them online.

Not that any of my projects ever grow in size and even the simplest end up being monstrous monoliths or anything. Since it is a D&D thing, I've also found a pair of tiny green dice which are currently being undercoated white so I can then slap some pink paint on them, and then add them on too.

Might need a bigger base. I wish I had a better idea on the footprint of the tree.

Anyway, this is what it looks like so far.



The elf seems to be a mouse. I am not sure what kind of creature santa is, but he has large round ears and a tail, but a human face. Brown Jenkin possibly?
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Found a larger base for the diorama, so redid it. The presents arrived today, so now I just need to wait for the tree to arrive, figure out a way to stick it onto the snow (the (base is covered in PVA glue wih bicarb and glitter. Not the most solid and stable surface to try to stick things on), then put some varnish over the whole thing.



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

Alex

The morning started with Elsa chewing on my Achilles tendon.

Set the tone for the rest of the day really.

Had my long-delayed med board finally today. I had hoped that they would upgrade me fully and for a while that looked like a possibility, but the fact that I can't run for more than 7 minutes any more prevented a return to full service. I guess I should take that as a good thing as it means I won't get sent anywhere, where I am expected to dodge incoming explosives on a daily basis, but still, that is what they pay me to do and I feel frustrated about it. Common sense should kick in at some point and say "Fine with that, and anyway I have a wife and child to look after."

Anyway, the recommendation from the doctor is to keep me in the service, but it goes to an employment tribunal now and I'll hear back from them sometime in the next six months.

Once (if) I make it to the 22-year point I really don't care. I've got my instant pension, no waiting to retirement age and ultimately that is what I want out of my service. I've never been interested in flags (to the best of my knowledge no flag ever stopped a bullet from a gun), speeches (if wars could be fought with grand speeches, the earth would be the centre of an enormous galactic empire, and besides those giving them rarely seems to put themselves in the kind of danger they want you to put yourself in) or medals (all fine and dandy if you like to show off, just look at a North Korean military parade or any other nation that hands out medals like candy at Hallowe'en).

When I was younger, the most popular radio station in the UK had a segment where the DJ (his name was Simon Bates) would read out some listeners tragic, but generally inspirational story. I only recall one of those stories, and even then they are pretty vague memories. He'd read out the story while Nino Rota's Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet played in the background. Some woman had, had a really tough upbringing. I suspect she'd been abused by her parents or some similiar thing, and then went onto be in various abusive relationships until eventually she fell in love with what was her perfect man. They got married and she'd never been happier. One day she discovers she is pregnant and is waiting at home to tell her husband when he gets home from work. Only the husband never comes home. Instead the police come to her door and tell her he died in a car crash. Over 30 years on I still wonder about the woman in that story, how she got on bringing up her child, did she fall in love again and so forth.

Funny the little things that stick in your mind like that. This is the theme that would play in the background.

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

#236
Looks like the saga of getting a new bridge built down on the east beach has moved forward judging by this article.

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/moray/2559853/project-to-replace-popular-moray-bridge-will-be-special-trip-back-to-region-for-contractor/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

It will be nice to stroll along the beach again. I am looking forward to taking Ash along there when he is older to see the old WW2 bunkers. It has some of the best-preserved WW2 coastal defences in the country.

Kristi has went out shopping with her friend Karen today. She (Karen), is currently hating the whole meme thing going on with her name. She isn't that kind of person but that isn't going to stop me tormenting her about it.

Just one more thing to add to Kristi's decoration. I've ordered something I can use as a reindeer.


One of Kristi's associates was being buried today. They could only have 20 people at the funeral, and while she might have respected Mike for the things he did for the community, I don't think she particularly liked him. Me, I thought he was an a-hole, but then again I only met him once. Anyway, she is attending a Zoom wake for him at the moment since she couldn't go to the service itself. Since I didn't care for him I don't think I should attend. I am sure he'll have enough friends and family to mourn for him without me regardless.

I see New Zealand's premier won an increased left wing majority in their elections. I wonder if it is the first sign of a more away from the swing to the right wing the world seemed to undergo 5 or so years ago. One result isn't enough to draw a conclussion from but it will be interesting to see how other elections go over the course of the next year. I would have expected such a counter movement to take longer to take place, but those types of government seem to have been those most unable to deal with the pandemic.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Allhallowsday

Quote from: chefzombie on October 09, 2020, 11:46:09 PM
you're a really good hubby, as well as a good dad, alex. and a good friend, even if you do torture me any chance you get.  :cheers:

Oh, Alex, don't let her sideswipe be misunderstood, she's just kidding with you.  She has written sideswipes to me often, pretending she was kidding.  Strangely, though, I thought she felt this forum was "...no longer worth much time to me anymore..." 

If you want to view paradise . . . simply look around and view it!

Alex

Found an old Hammer film I haven't seen before (or at least if I have, I don't recall it). Happily spending the evening watching it.

My workmate keeps giving me "shocking" news stories to check out. Unfortunately for him he quotes Project Veritas as a reliable news source and I am well aware of that organisation, how they operate and how often the reporter who founded the organisation has been caught out. His latest thing was yesterday telling me that Joe Biden's son is supposed to have left a laptop with tens of thousands of pictures of him torturing kids. Could be true, but I am going to go with standard issue smear campaign. Not even going to try and fact check his stuff any more. Any independent fact checking site I use that doesn't agree with his world view is automatically dismissed as "must be funded by the democrats".

Been thinking for a while that I need to buy him a tin hat with some of the stuff he's came out with. Isn't a bad guy, but wow is he aggressively gullible. Still, it is unusual to meet someone who follows American politics this closely. He has bet £200 on trump to win the election at odds of 2 to 1.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Alex

Quote from: Allhallowsday on October 22, 2020, 02:58:10 PM
Quote from: chefzombie on October 09, 2020, 11:46:09 PM
you're a really good hubby, as well as a good dad, alex. and a good friend, even if you do torture me any chance you get.  :cheers:

Oh, Alex, don't let her sideswipe be misunderstood, she's just kidding with you.  She has written sideswipes to me often, pretending she was kidding.  Strangely, though, I thought she felt this forum was "...no longer worth much time to me anymore..." 



Oh, I know. I do torture her a lot. I believe Barri did say that she'd only be coming here for my posts on this thread though if I recall.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.