The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[Beardy]

There’s generally a small speaker for your ear (the receiver in telephone engineering speak) at the top of your phone, and a microphone to capture your voice (transmitter in TES) at the bottom of your phone. The more powerful ‘music’ speakers initially started at the bottom of your phone, although more advanced phones now have ‘music’ speakers at the top and bottom of the phone to provide stereo separation when you put the phone in landscape orientation for watching videos.

[rafletcher]

There is a colleague workmate someone at work I needed some info off.  He wasn't in Monday. Nor Tuesday. I asked his colleague if he would be in this week. "No, he's off sick" say they. "Oh, I'll see him next Monday then" say I. They "laughs". Grrrrr.  This individual never gets ill except over a weekend, and never recovers until the following week, all nicely self-certified. Around 4 times a year. Dog knows how HR haven't had numerous interviews with him about how they can help as he's obviously suffering disproportionately.

[ian]

Chronic weekenditsis is a serious illness. Bouts can take up to five days to resolve.

[Basil]

How many grandparents funerals has he been to?

[chrisbainbridge]

I routinely get invites to professional meetings. Sometimes, for meetings in China I get several invites as well as being asked to give a presentation.  These are generally polite, professional emails.

Today I recieved a very strange email with the heading "let me introduce myself":

Hello Christopher,

I hope you are well and don't mind me reaching out.

I've been on the organiser team for Future Surgery for a little while now as the lead marketer, but I've never properly introduced myself. In the lead up to the conference this November, I wanted to send you a quick email to let you know a bit about myself.

1. My name is Hannah

2. I am a big foodie and have a particular interest in baking (cakes especially) - I love discovering new restaurants and bakeries right here in London (recommendations welcome!).

3. I love to travel and when I'm not helping surgeons with their professional development, I'm probably planning my next adventure (again, please send me recommendations!).

4. I believe in being open and honest and in that spirit, I would really value feedback and suggestions on what I can do to improve your experience with us at Future Surgery.

My team and I always thrive to provide you with cost and time effective way of gaining your CPD, valuable clinical information & professional development, special offers and updates from the profession & suppliers. If there is anything you want to see or hear from us, please do let me know.

I am beyond excited to join you on this journey and hopefully welcome and meet you in person at this year's Future Surgery taking place on 15-16 November at ExCeL London.

As a little welcome gift from me, I am pleased to tell you that as a healthcare professional based here in the UK, you are eligible for a complimentary pass (saving you £499+ VAT!). Use my discount code FSHANNAH at checkout to receive your free pass today. Please note, T&Cs apply.

Click here to book your pass.

Kind Regards,
Hannah True
Marketing Executive
www.futuresurgeryshow.com
h.true@closerstillmedia.com

I find this rather unsettling.  By the last line I am almost expecting an invitation to dinner.  Am I reading too much into this? 

[ian]

Go for it, she's beyond excited which is my daily goal. Mere excitement? I can do that any time, just watch me. Going beyond is something else and she's already there. I think in a different life I'd like to be an Excitement Coach.

Credit to her, she got your attention. Are you taking her flowers? She looks nice. I've probably freaked her out in return by viewing her LinkedIn profile now. I'll probably have to give her a job.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Beyond Excited sounds like the name of an events co.

[robgul]

I routinely get invites to professional meetings. Sometimes, for meetings in China I get several invites as well as being asked to give a presentation.  These are generally polite, professional emails.

Today I recieved a very strange email with the heading "let me introduce myself":

Hello Christopher,

I hope you are well and don't mind me reaching out.

I've been on the organiser team for Future Surgery for a little while now as the lead marketer, but I've never properly introduced myself. In the lead up to the conference this November, I wanted to send you a quick email to let you know a bit about myself.

1. My name is Hannah

2. I am a big foodie and have a particular interest in baking (cakes especially) - I love discovering new restaurants and bakeries right here in London (recommendations welcome!).

3. I love to travel and when I'm not helping surgeons with their professional development, I'm probably planning my next adventure (again, please send me recommendations!).

4. I believe in being open and honest and in that spirit, I would really value feedback and suggestions on what I can do to improve your experience with us at Future Surgery.

My team and I always thrive to provide you with cost and time effective way of gaining your CPD, valuable clinical information & professional development, special offers and updates from the profession & suppliers. If there is anything you want to see or hear from us, please do let me know.

I am beyond excited to join you on this journey and hopefully welcome and meet you in person at this year's Future Surgery taking place on 15-16 November at ExCeL London.

As a little welcome gift from me, I am pleased to tell you that as a healthcare professional based here in the UK, you are eligible for a complimentary pass (saving you £499+ VAT!). Use my discount code FSHANNAH at checkout to receive your free pass today. Please note, T&Cs apply.

Click here to book your pass.

Kind Regards,
Hannah True
Marketing Executive
www.futuresurgeryshow.com
h.true@closerstillmedia.com

I find this rather unsettling.  By the last line I am almost expecting an invitation to dinner.  Am I reading too much into this?

. . .  if there's a dinner invite forthcoming take your toothbrush 

[barakta]

I get similar emails which get filed immediately as spam which in my case is what they are. Basically the spammers waste their time on disabled students' advisers at universities about conferences that literally don't exist.

I know I'm ill (temp of 38.3C earlier) cos I got 2/3 down one of those spams before recognising it as spammy shite and defenestrating it. Usually I notice the FROM is bollocks.

[chrisbainbridge]

I get similar emails which get filed immediately as spam which in my case is what they are. Basically the spammers waste their time on disabled students' advisers at universities about conferences that literally don't exist.

I know I'm ill (temp of 38.3C earlier) cos I got 2/3 down one of those spams before recognising it as spammy shite and defenestrating it. Usually I notice the FROM is bollocks.

This is an actual event and at one point I had even been thinking about going to it as I have an interest in innovation.  I just found this form of marketing rather seedy.  I have put in a formal complaint to the Royal College of surgeons who were organising it'

[barakta]

Yeah, it does seem a bit creepy and well into freebies-for-marketing stuff which I thought wasn't allowed in NHS any more.

No more branded pharmaceutical stuffs like Kim's (doctor) dad used to bring home. We still have a nice little metal Ciproxin branded ruler!

[Kim]

Bayer had all the best swag.  They did those little Maglites, too.

[rafletcher]

One of our neighbours is going to be hosting a wedding for a friend. A Greek friend. Through a mutual contact (my wife’s hairdresser) we already know that the bar provider has been asked - and refused - to serve 15 - 17 year olds. And as there will be a marquee in the paddock behind their house, I assume it’ll be quite a large gathering.  We live in a linear village with a narrow road. Apparently (it a family building concern run from the house) the company secretary will be putting notes through all our doors apologising in advance for the disruption - because of course they won’t have organised additional parking, like the field that’s used for Church weddings or village hall events.

At least it’s unlikely to end like the one we attended in Crete, with Kalashnikov’s being fired into the heavens at 3am.

[Beardy]

When I got new locks for Beardy’s Bastion, I went to the trouble of getting all the locks keyed alike. This, however does not stop Dr Beardy morning at me when she has to use the ‘back door key’ to lock the front door because I’ve left the ‘front door key’ in my painting trousers after I’d used it to open and close the garage door during the course of todays DIY task.

It’s not as if the main portcullis and the tradesman’s entrance are that far apart. Grief, she even has to pass the former after she’s locked the latter and is on her way to bed!

[ElyDave]

First of the autumn lurgies, resting heart rate up, headache, snottiness, coughing, and blood sugar playing silly buggers. Tested negative for covid yesterday, but will test again tomorrow just in case.

The first clue was the blood sugar weirdness

[rafletcher]

Dear wife, you know energy costs have gone through the roof. And we live in a small terraced cordage with a front door, a back door, and one door in between, that is generally open during the day. When you go out the back door, why do you have to open it to the 90 degree position, and then wander off to see to your washing/garden/compost bin when a simple nudge back would accelerate its closing to a significant degree.

[Kim]

Dear wife, you know energy costs have gone through the roof. And we live in a small terraced cordage with a front door, a back door, and one door in between, that is generally open during the day. When you go out the back door, why do you have to open it to the 90 degree position, and then wander off to see to your washing/garden/compost bin when a simple nudge back would accelerate its closing to a significant degree.

I've been a lot more thorough about back door closing in such situations since the Rat Incident...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Dear wife, you know energy costs have gone through the roof. And we live in a small terraced cordage with a front door, a back door, and one door in between, that is generally open during the day. When you go out the back door, why do you have to open it to the 90 degree position, and then wander off to see to your washing/garden/compost bin when a simple nudge back would accelerate its closing to a significant degree.

I've been a lot more thorough about back door closing in such situations since the Rat Incident...

How does a Rat Incident rate against a Squirrel Incident? Or a Pine Marten Incident...

[rafletcher]

Dear wife, you know energy costs have gone through the roof. And we live in a small terraced cordage with a front door, a back door, and one door in between, that is generally open during the day. When you go out the back door, why do you have to open it to the 90 degree position, and then wander off to see to your washing/garden/compost bin when a simple nudge back would accelerate its closing to a significant degree.

I've been a lot more thorough about back door closing in such situations since the Rat Incident...

Ah, for rats, and mice, and glis glis, we have Phoebe to thank 

[ElyDave]

Rat and mice incidents are two a penny round here, that's why we have a healthy buzzard and kestrel population

[Kim]

Dear wife, you know energy costs have gone through the roof. And we live in a small terraced cordage with a front door, a back door, and one door in between, that is generally open during the day. When you go out the back door, why do you have to open it to the 90 degree position, and then wander off to see to your washing/garden/compost bin when a simple nudge back would accelerate its closing to a significant degree.

I've been a lot more thorough about back door closing in such situations since the Rat Incident...

How does a Rat Incident rate against a Squirrel Incident? Or a Pine Marten Incident...

Rat was definitely easier to evict than a squirrel, as rats will run in more predictable directions.  I merely opened the external door, set the washing machine (which the rat was hiding behind) to run a spin cycle, and positioned myself by internal door with a stout stick, while barakta made sure it stayed closed.  As the machine started up, the rat legged it, swerved to avoid me and went straight out the back door.  Job done.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It's easier to predict a rat's movements, as people are closer to rats.

[Kim]

Rats also have more respect for the Z-axis than squirrels.

[Beardy]

Painting a second coat Pure Brilliant White High Gloss is an exercise in nuance, especially so in bright sunlight. That it was an overhead surface just compounded the horridness of the whole exercise. 

I’m already aching.

On, and the masking tape was only partially successful in its life mission nd I’m going to have to go over the adjacent dark surfaces, no doubt a multitude of times, once the paint has dried.

[T42]

Rats also have more respect for the Z-axis than squirrels.

Going up but not necessarily coming down: I just read that US rats can fall 50 feet without being rendered U/S.

No data available for Donald Trump.