what I have learned today.

[ian]

That I shouldn't go to the mothership as the humans have flooded the lower deck with poo swill.

(Apparently, the landlords were 'deep cleaning the toilet stack' at the weekend, whatever that entailed, I guess that worked out well.)

I am guessing the toilet stack is the big downtube to which all the toilets are connected and carries poo etc. down to the sewer. Cleaning the toilet stack I think means getting rid of any lingering solids. If the solids are sufficiently lingering twixt floors, when you clean the lingering solids, everything they are holding back escapes. Much jollity ensues (for witnesses, not practitioners).

The mothership has a history of poo-smell problems (it used to belch forth from the CEOs office, though the noisome stench did dent our collective amusement). I think there's some kind of weird and contrary poo-beast in the basement charged with chewing through our collective effluent.

[Ham]

This I learned a few days ago. First the scene set.

In France, the day before driving back to the UK, requiring 1200km driving in a day. I would like to ensure a good night sleep, for obvious reasons. I have a streaming cold. I have bought some cold remedy from a French Pharmacy, with pills marked "Day" and "Night". Not wishing to knock myself out for an early start, I choose a "Day" capsule, thinking I will get a good night sleep. Two hours later I have come to the conclusion that the "Day" capsules have an over-quantity of caffeine, as I am more than a little wired and sleep is a distant dream (only it isn't a dream, clearly). Which is odd, as my tolerance for caffeine is high. Oh well.

It is the day after return I learn that the French cold remedy decongestant is amphetamine, with the night dose being a fraction of the day dose. Oh well.

[spesh]

You are Alain Baxter AICMFP. 

[Mrs Pingu]

So the moral of the story is, take night nurse with impunity and main line day nurse all day.

[ian]

This I learned a few days ago. First the scene set.

In France, the day before driving back to the UK, requiring 1200km driving in a day. I would like to ensure a good night sleep, for obvious reasons. I have a streaming cold. I have bought some cold remedy from a French Pharmacy, with pills marked "Day" and "Night". Not wishing to knock myself out for an early start, I choose a "Day" capsule, thinking I will get a good night sleep. Two hours later I have come to the conclusion that the "Day" capsules have an over-quantity of caffeine, as I am more than a little wired and sleep is a distant dream (only it isn't a dream, clearly). Which is odd, as my tolerance for caffeine is high. Oh well.

It is the day after return I learn that the French cold remedy decongestant is amphetamine, with the night dose being a fraction of the day dose. Oh well.

Most (if not all) nasal decongestants are amphetamine-like sympathomimetic drugs (despite the fact they [all] involve a risk of stroke and severe neurological effect still regularly available because no one likes a blocked nose).

Still, it was France, so you're lucky the capsules were for oral consumption.

I'd avoid the weak stuff like pseudoephedrine and go direct to crystal meth. You can always take the edge off with a couple of bennies. That seems to be what most drivers in south London are doing.

[Beardy]

That some responsible for street names in South Yorkshire is a little bit of a comedian. The address of the South Yorkshire Police Operations Complex is something of a classic. Do google ‘south yorkshire police operations complex’ it’s a bit of a giggle.

[barakta]

Yesterday but I appear to be able to control and move in a decent manual wheelchair using my hands on wheels and control them independently as well as forward (not sure about reverse) or on carpets rather than hard flooring.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yesterday but I appear to be able to control and move in a decent manual wheelchair using my hands on wheels and control them independently as well as forward (not sure about reverse) or on carpets rather than hard flooring.

This might be a useful skill but the fact that you have discovered it could be not so good. ... ?

[barakta]

I'm likely to need scary ortho surgery (between 1 and 4 procedures) to my pelvis/femurs which will require limited weightbearing on the operated leg for around 12 weeks during recovery... Crutches aren't an option. Frames would be limited.

A manual wheelchair is much more flexible than a powerchair in many ways. I have some delightfully knowledgeable friends willing to help me work out what I need and try them out.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Hopefully you will go through scary and come out at least partially mended.

[T42]

What Cudzo said. Wincing in sympathy.

[CAMRAMan]

Ouch! Hope the procedures go well.

For my part, I discovered that the '700c' inner tube I've been carrying around in my saddle pack the last two years is actually an 18" Birdy one! And to think I actually came off in November when I was offering it as a spare (offer declined!) to a fellow cyclist on a cyclepath.

[orraloon]

That some responsible for street names in South Yorkshire is a little bit of a comedian. The address of the South Yorkshire Police Operations Complex is something of a classic. Do google ‘south yorkshire police operations complex’ it’s a bit of a giggle.

Erm.   'Ave Oi got a humour bypass?

[spesh]

That some responsible for street names in South Yorkshire is a little bit of a comedian. The address of the South Yorkshire Police Operations Complex is something of a classic. Do google ‘south yorkshire police operations complex’ it’s a bit of a giggle.

Erm.   'Ave Oi got a humour bypass?

The police facility is the only building on Letsby Avenue. As in, "lets be 'avin' you".

Badum, and indeed, tish...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/feb/12/martinwainwright

Google map

HTH.

[orraloon]

Ah.  Thought there must be more to the 'joke' than that.  Is there Benny Hill stylee in tandem with truncheons erect fast forwarding on offer?

[barakta]

Thanks all. I have to persuade the surgeons to operate at all - they're unhappy about my age which affects bone-union healing. But without surgery I have a high percentage risk of developing arthritis and labral tears and my limited mobility and pain worsening even further.

[Snakehips]

While researching entrepreneurial brothers in law for the KWC2019 quiz I discovered that Callard & Bowsers is cockney rhyming slang for trousers.

[Wowbagger]

While researching entrepreneurial brothers in law for the KWC2019 quiz I discovered that Callard & Bowsers is cockney rhyming slang for trousers.

Those of a Certain Age may recall that there was a cartoon in Private Eye in the 1960s and early 1970s yclept "Barry McKenzie". At least once he referred to his "petrols", an abbreviation of "petrol bowsers".

My rather interesting factoid is that les français have a word for "pie chart" - "camembert". Apparently it's also known as "un diagramme circulaire", but that's just boring.

[Efrogwr]

Those of a Certain Age may recall that there was a carton in Private Eye in the 1960s and early 1970s yclept "Barry McKenzie". At least once he referred to his "petrols", an abbreviation of "petrol bowsers".

I don't remember any rhyming slag at all!  As far as I know most of the slang in the strip was invented by Barry Humphries. I do, however, recall his referring to trousers as "strides"

[Canardly]

That Ciao is derived from the Venetian term for slave.

[T42]

That Ciao is derived from the Venetian term for slave.

Seems reasonable.  I've known Germans use servus as a greeting, and it's Latin for slave, and "your servant" used to be a common English expression.

[TheLurker]

Toss up between the "div" thread and here.

Not to thin dope whilst wearing one of the few pairs of half way decent strides in my possession.  I now have one fewer half way decent pairs of strides.

[T42]

What strides are, apart from the obvious.

[Efrogwr]

What strides are, apart from the obvious.

Here's another one (in case you didn't already know); in Yorkshire they are called kecks.

[Cudzoziemiec]

In Gloucestershire, kecks were underwear.