Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

Davesnave

chewmylegoff wrote: »

I hate level crossings. I swear they just operate randomly. 45 minutes on the wrong side of it watching train after train go past. Seems to have created a 17 mile traffic jam.

On our level crossing, the staff are very obliging. They cancelled the lights and opened it up for me a few nights ago.:D

In the other direction, the train drivers operate it, and if they see you paused on the main road, indicator going, they will hold on.

Goes without saying that all trains must stop at that station!:rotfl:

Davesnave

vivatifosi wrote: »

Mmmm..... You are quite the Leslie Phillips of this board;). I'm now imagining you saying "ding dong" while pretending to press the bell as a gorgeous vet answers.

Our vet is on P28 of Country Smallholding this month. She's not unattractive, but her main claim to fame is that she's a chicken specialist.

There's just one problem as I see it with specialising in chickens, and that's the simple economics of it. 1 hen = a value of £25 max. Vet bills tend to average a good bit more than that.

chewmylegoff

Davesnave wrote: »

On our level crossing, the staff are very obliging. They cancelled the lights and opened it up for me a few nights ago.:D

In the other direction, the train drivers operate it, and if they see you paused on the main road, indicator going, they will hold on.

Goes without saying that all trains must stop at that station!:rotfl:

ours must be automatic, but it keeps going all wrong.

a few sundays ago i was driving to the supermarket and got caught by it coming down. the only thing was - there were no trains that weekend because of engineering work! i thought an engineering train might be coming through, but it stayed down for about 15 minutes, and then, if a level crossing can be sheepish, sheepishly lifted itself up again.

the traffic in SW london is supposed to be the worse in london. in my view, it's these bleeding level crossings!

lemonjelly

misskool wrote: »

I'm bored of working 8-6 everyday

My previous job was like this. The hours, plus travel time, plus stress did not go down well with me.

It ended negatively (though the very end was more negative for them than me , especially a couple of peeps in particular) and this was as the bottom fell out of the jobs market.

I know only too well that I got really lucky in landing my current job. It was in a new sector, and I have learned loads of new stuff, so that gave me a spark. I'm still learning stuff, and there will be events in the next 12+ months that will give me more to do & learn, so at least there is something to motivate me.

I didn't feel it at the time, as I took quite a pay cut to come here (around 13% ). However, at least I was in a job, so there was the bright side. My previous job ending also really soured how I felt about work, & definitely changed my attitude towards employment.

However, leaving work at 4.30 has been such bliss. So much so, that I have worked over many times without worrying about it, because I know it was my choice to do so. The reduced pressures & stress has been a major boost to me & my life. I now focus a lot more on my own time, and believe that my social time defines me so much more than my job. I may earn less, but I do earn enough, and I get to spend more time doing things I love.

My second job has given me less work too over the past couple of years. As time passes, it remains useful, but less important. I am less likely to drop other things to go & work there now.

None of the above means that I've lost any ambition. I believe there will be a better time to progress, advance or move on to pastures new (not the poster , or then again...:D). But that time is not now, and I'm happy enough doing things that I enjoy, and having my time to myself, my friends and my hobbies.

lemonjelly

By the way, John Cleese's tour has had what some would call negative or lukewarm reviews. I have to say I enjoyed the show. He's quite upfront about the fact he is doing it for the money, so you're not decieved. That isn't to say that he was not interesting, or funny, because he was. I enjoyed the show. And the audience enjoyed it too.

If I were to be critical, the only issue I would have, is that it was too short (& in a way, that is a touch unfair, as he did 2 hours). Perhaps that is because he has done/acheived so much, and in a 2 hour time frame, there is only so much you can fit in. I won't go into detail in case anyone is going, however there were aspects of his career virtually untouched (which I'd have liked to hear something of). At the same time, there were one or 2 previously unseen type sections which were fascinating. Also, his comments on comedy were very insightful, and again I would have loved to have heard him talk about writing comedy so much more.

Good show though.

Coming up in 1 week - Derren Brown. Treliac, if you lurk at all, did you get yourself tickets?

vivatifosi

Jelly do you like Mark Thomas? I've just started his new book - Extreme Rambling - in which he sets out to walk the length of the wall/fence between the West Bank and Israel to see what it is like living on both sides. Heavy subject so works better for me when with a bit of humour laced in. Somehow humour in such areas makes the situation come across as more poignant. Have only read about the first 35 pages, but so far, so good.

I am also reading Peston's 'Who Runs Britain?', but I have to be honest, it's interesting but I'm not keen on his style. As a researcher, the fact that he starts with an opinion and then builds on it, rather than going in with an open mind and seeing what comes up irks me somewhat.

Plus I'm also reading the Upside of Irrationality - finally - that's my bedtime book and thoroughly enjoyable. I find I'm going to bed 1/2 an hour early just to read it.

Wheezy_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not that you're going on holiday because of the cost of single supplements and it's not much fun on your own

lemonjelly wrote: »

I believe there will be a better time to progress, advance or move on to pastures new (not the poster , or then again...:D).

solved :beer:

michaels

You have me all wrong Viva, I am courtesy personified chatting friendlily to whoever wants to talk and finishing quickly for those who want to (I am talking about completing the survey here before anyone gets any ideas). I guess I was just more interesting than Waterloo Road for the Vet student yesterday and the email was above board as she sent me some info about a house mate that she did not have to hand at the time.

However it seems the good citizens of St Albans are not that polite in general:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=43553606&postcount=33

vivatifosi wrote: »

Similar situation here, love the freedom in terms of time but hate the lack of income! I don't know that I want to go back to a "normal" commuting job though, especially after you lot talked me out of it.



Mmmm..... You are quite the Leslie Phillips of this board;). I'm now imagining you saying "ding dong" while pretending to press the bell as a gorgeous vet answers.

michaels

100% agree with you - there is much more to life than money or work (although I guess if you enjoy your work then it is easier to want to devote more energy to it.

I would be happy to earn only 60% of my 'normal' salary and could easily live on it if it meant a good work/life balance - especially as the actual income reduction would be much less with the tax situation.

lemonjelly wrote: »

My previous job was like this. The hours, plus travel time, plus stress did not go down well with me.
....
None of the above means that I've lost any ambition. I believe there will be a better time to progress, advance or move on to pastures new (not the poster , or then again...:D). But that time is not now, and I'm happy enough doing things that I enjoy, and having my time to myself, my friends and my hobbies.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

You have me all wrong Viva, I am courtesy personified chatting friendlily to whoever wants to talk and finishing quickly for those who want to. I guess I was just more interesting than Waterloo Road for the Vet student yesterday and the email was above board as she sent me some info about a housemate that she did not have to hand at the time.

However it seems the good citizens of St Albans are not that polite in general:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=43553606&postcount=33

Oh no, I have you all right, I just wanted to wind you up;). Sorry, I have an evil sense of humour that doesn't always go down well in print.

In terms of the other thread about St Albans, about the only bit I agree with is where it says it is a nightmare to park, that is 100% true! Calling Hertfordshire people smelly though, not happy with that.