Chat about anything else!

Admin wrote:Quick update - whatever is causing the splitting headaches, earache, red hot poker feeling in the ears, dizziness, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, blurred vision and general feeling rotten isn't meningitis apparently. Yay! It only took a doctors appointment, drive through rush hour traffic and 8 hours of mostly sitting about in A&E with the doors open and feeling freezing cold to figure that out. Talk about a wild goose chase, but at least I know what it isn't so every cloud and all that. It's 0124, just got in after leaving the house at 1500 so sack time but more updates tomorrow...night!

Mate with the way you have to work and the many plates that are spinning might this be stressed, run down, generally been through the mill and back over the last year(s) that is a big factor in this?

Hope you feel better after sleeping. This is my busy silly season (to be honest it feels like this is true throughout the year, only more so now) so I am going to be slow catching up on updates - but I am still here not dropped off a cliff of anything.

Sj

May have hit the nail on the head there Dave. Had too much on the plate this year not to be affected in some way and illness on top (or maybe because of) is the cherry on the icing of the cake. Hopefully all the drugs I'm slugging down will make a dent in the next few days. Silly season for us on the railway tends to run Nov-feb when things get too much for people and awful things happen when people decide they've had enough, so I feel your pain.

Understand about steady posting - real life always comes first of course - and I'll be trying my best at this end to keep things flowing. We've been doing this since late 2009 and I'm pretty sure this must be one of the worst years I can remember from a personal point of view.

Anyway, thanks for listening as always!

Cheers, Paul

Just saw the nice new header and the "recently added" downloads on our front page. Looks really cool! Now off to work.

DavidMcMahon wrote:Just saw the nice new header and the "recently added" downloads on our front page.  Looks really cool!  Now off to work.  

Wow

Back posting tomorrow (about to hit the sack). Juggling work and Christmas shopping and spending a lot of time on hold finding out where presents are (not it turns out) and asking for refunds. When the sums are like £850 and it will take (I quote) '5-7 working days to get your money back' you can imagine the response. Instant to take the money, slow to give it back and they sat on the order for 2 weeks before I chased them up and they admitted 'we think it might be march next year but can't tell you when your order will turn up. Oh, you want to cancel the order?'. Yeah you could say that.

These things are sent to test us.

I expect the usual slowdown over christmas but I'll be still knocking about and checking in/updating where and when I can in between pulling my hair out and driving trains....

In case you don't know, I've started the first issue of Project GI Joe. And sorry to hear of your shopping woes.

Admin wrote:Back posting tomorrow (about to hit the sack). Juggling work and Christmas shopping and spending a lot of time on hold finding out where presents are (not it turns out) and asking for refunds. When the sums are like £850 and it will take (I quote) '5-7 working days to get your money back' you can imagine the response. Instant to take the money, slow to give it back and they sat on the order for 2 weeks before I chased them up and they admitted 'we think it might be march next year but can't tell you when your order will turn up. Oh, you want to cancel the order?'. Yeah you could say that.

These things are sent to test us.

I expect the usual slowdown over christmas but I'll be still knocking about and checking in/updating where and when I can in between pulling my hair out and driving trains....

Oh brother

Sj

Lol yeah best laid plans of mice n men. Todays disaster revolved around fixing the toilet after I mentioned to my visiting mother that the flush could be iffy and wiggle it if the thing didn't stop filling up. Cue stripping the toilet to bits and rushing around trying to buy replacement parts... I'll keep my mouth shut next time and sort the loo out when she's left

Another rubbish week, sorry guys. Combination of Work, having my son over to stay for a few days and running about doing Xmas stuff meant time to sit down=nil.

Anyway, I'm sure you're all busy with Christmas and I wish you all a good one and a prosperous new year (though I expect I'll be 'back' on Boxing Day...)

Cheers, Paul

Merry Christmas!

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I have no idea what Boxing Day is though but have a happy one.

Boxing Day is just the day after Christmas day. A bank holiday in the UK (and other places, though called St Stephens day across much of Europe). Dates back to when the rich would give their servants a box of gifts or left over food as thanks for their service the day before (and a day off, presumably) sometime in the 18th century I think.

Anyhow, that's Christmas done for another year. The kids seemed happy enough so that's the main thing. Christmas is what you make of it and I'm glad for just a couple of days off work even if it feels like I need to go back to work for a rest!

Right, I'll get started with the catching up. Thanks for your patience not just over the last few months but the entire year. It's been the most difficult in terms of being able to sit down and type away that I can remember for a while, and we've been doing this for 'a while'

Cheers, Paul

Admin wrote:Boxing Day is just the day after Christmas day. A bank holiday in the UK (and other places, though called St Stephens day across much of Europe). Dates back to when the rich would give their servants a box of gifts or left over food as thanks for their service the day before (and a day off, presumably) sometime in the 18th century I think.

Anyhow, that's Christmas done for another year. The kids seemed happy enough so that's the main thing. Christmas is what you make of it and I'm glad for just a couple of days off work even if it feels like I need to go back to work for a rest!

Right, I'll get started with the catching up. Thanks for your patience not just over the last few months but the entire year. It's been the most difficult in terms of being able to sit down and type away that I can remember for a while, and we've been doing this for 'a while'  

Cheers, Paul

Glad all is well, Paul. I love Christmas, but then I would would I ;-). Anyway, glad it went well without further incident. I've been off and a bit tied up as a result. Anyho, like you glad we're all flexible with these things.

Sj

I think I would classify 2022 as a year with 'best intentions and nil actual result'. Pretty much sums up my updating, my now (single) status and health. Thankfully all the illness/meningitis/hospital shenanigans appear to be behind me and my current goal to a) make more time for me and b) eat healthier, exercise more, look after myself is going well, two days in :

Right, will see what I can update on this (not my usual computer) before sack time. The keyboard is one I'm not used to so expect plenty of typos...

Still alive! I haven't drowned under the flood of water from my washing machine yesterday (the first warning sounds were a beeping I'd never heard before...). Pipes blocked but involved water all over the place and some mopping up as well as dismantling the pipework under the sink. These things are sent to test us. I'll try again to update! Other than that work has me on long shifts every day (sometimes I'm spare and sat around waiting for a call to go do something but lately they've found stuff - and then some - to do). Tidying up my cv and putting in for another job today all being well. Not much in the way of money improvements but weekends off which are worth more than a pay rise to me. Problem is lots of other people will go for the job too so it's a fingers crossed kind of thing...

Cheers, Paul

Admin wrote:Still alive! I haven't drowned under the flood of water from my washing machine yesterday (the first warning sounds were a beeping I'd never heard before...). Pipes blocked but involved water all over the place and some mopping up as well as dismantling the pipework under the sink. These things are sent to test us. I'll try again to update! Other than that work has me on long shifts every day (sometimes I'm spare and sat around waiting for a call to go do something but lately they've found stuff - and then some - to do). Tidying up my cv and putting in for another job today all being well. Not much in the way of money improvements but weekends off which are worth more than a pay rise to me. Problem is lots of other people will go for the job too so it's a fingers crossed kind of thing...

Cheers, Paul

Paul it seems like your life is the real thing of which we in our PBEM only get to tackle with imaginary powers. I do wonder if their is some spill over in that depending on how hard things are for you is the amount of pain we feel in the game ;-). Anyway, I hope things come together job wise, I can see how a Mon - Fri would make a real difference.

Sj

Paul it seems like your life is the real thing of which we in our PBEM only get to tackle with imaginary powers. I do wonder if their is some spill over in that depending on how hard things are for you is the amount of pain we feel in the game ;-). Anyway, I hope things come together job wise, I can see how a Mon - Fri would make a real difference.


I was suspecting the same thing about pain in game. Seems the worse his life is, the darker the tone.

But take care. Don't kill yourself trying to keep up otherwise burn out is going to be a problem for you.

Thanks guys - last week (well, since I posted last) the shifts have been horrendous. Trying to get sleep when you start at 2am, 3am, 4am, 7am, 2am, 3am... has me going straight to bed when I get home and struggling to get to sleep later. Staring at a screen keeps me up all night afterwards so I don't have any choice but shut eyes and count sheep or whatever.

Not heard anything from the job application so I may try other avenues. The company I work for has hit the national news with reports of its terrible performance - we're a laughing stock as despite the train crews best efforts we're made to look like idiots when 'Control' (I use the term lightly) cancels trains left right and centre for various reasons though mostly down to inability to run a bath never mind a train service.

Ah well. See what happens. Thanks for hanging in there (and apologies to everyone else). Got a few days off now so aside from mountains of laundry (done today) I can relax a little and get some 'me' time in.

Cheers, Paul

Admin wrote:Ah well. See what happens. Thanks for hanging in there (and apologies to everyone else). Got a few days off now so aside from mountains of laundry (done today) I can relax a little and get some 'me' time in.

Cheers, Paul

No worries mate, we can be patient ;-) maybe its our superpower

Sj

Well, I lost my WiFi connection on Monday evening on my brand new computer. Had it running for a day and a half. Just got it up running again. Got lots of catching up to do on everything online. So I will be a bit slow posting.

I should be posting later on today to get things moving. Things tend to grind to a halt through either work (grrrrr) or my son visiting (which is a weekend long slob about and play computer games fest). Short shift today so should be home at reasonable time (tea time) and I'll see if I can get a post or two in before I leave (in half an hour)...

Tomorrow, I promise, I will start posting something ... tomorrow.

Me too. Work is grinding my will to live away this week. Basically got enough time to get up, get ready for work, drive to work, grind away, get home, eat and go to bed because I'm up at 0445 to do the whole thing again.

Remember when I said that I'd be switching to Passenger trains for an easier life? Yeah, that's not quite how it worked out...

Anyway, bed time now, updates when I get home tomorrow ...

Cheers, Paul

Admin wrote:Me too. Work is grinding my will to live away this week. Basically got enough time to get up, get ready for work, drive to work, grind away, get home, eat and go to bed because I'm up at 0445 to do the whole thing again.

Remember when I said that I'd be switching to Passenger trains for an easier life? Yeah, that's not quite how it worked out...

Anyway, bed time now, updates when I get home tomorrow ...

Cheers, Paul

Well I can hardly complain my friend, with the way I to have been busy and slow to respond. To be honest on one level its nice to know I am not alone, and its also nice to know when I am slow you'd understand.

As to the grind it certainly sounds harsh at the moment - what is the prospect of things changing if you do not change job? Is this the way it is for now, or just at this particular month/Year etc?

Sj

I am hoping things get easier. This week is long and I'm feeling it but soon there are engineering works for track upgrades that should see me sidelined for a while starting this weekend and every weekend for months.

In terms of changing job I'm not that enthusiastic about it now - must be my age. At 51 years old I've swapped employers four times as a train driver already so possibly better to hang on here and see if things improve rather than start from scratch again and learning from zero. Anyway, will see how I get on. Union (ASLEF) have confirmed today that the vote for more strikes was pretty much overwhelming (97.4% in favour) so expect more on the news in the next day or so. Govt aren't backing down, we're not budging, so I can see this dragging on into the summer...