The RANT thread (often contains fruity language)

[chrisbainbridge]

This has now been discovered, after 20 years, with farcilities management which is now provided internally again.

There may be hope for the NHS after all.

[tiermat]

To the moron (for I can't really think of any other epithet to hang on the shoulders of this idiot) who was leaving the TA hall in NTR, last night, about 21:10.

That bright light coming towards you was travelling at about 20mph.

There was a human being behind that bright light, me!

I was still travelling at that speed when you looked, saw me and decided to cross the road anyway.  Luckily for you, I started slowing right then.

So lets say I am now travelling at 15mph.  You reach the car you want to get into (as a passenger, the lights of the car are on, engine running so I am guessing Mater or Pater were driving).  This would not be a good point to open the door, really, would it?

Oh, of course that is what you do!

Opening it wider, right now, would be a really really bad idea, wouldn't it? Especially as I am now only a short distance from you, pulling wide as I can and slowing more as I have realised what a moron you are!

Oh! There we go, door fully opened, into the path of the cyclist, who you have clearly seen but chosen to ignore.

Do you then wonder why a) you had the door slammed on you and b) I called you a fucking stupid moron?

In case you are wondering, I hurt my hand but other than that I am fine, thanks.  I didn't ruin my ride, just took a little of the shine off.

[Ham]

Some BASTARD scheduled a conference call when the Alpe d'Huez climb is on.

Loving the drone shots

[ElyDave]

In a firm that employers the thick end of 100,000, it’s unlikely that there is no room for specialist. And out sourcing of none core functions makes little sense either as it’s unlikely that an outsourcing company is going to achieve greater economies of scale than those that can be realised internal, therefore profits have to come from poorer service delivery. This has now been discovered, after 20 years, with farcilities management which is now provided internally again.

There is stuff I do for multinationals that they have either decided not to do themselves, or recognise the value of independence in some cases. 

I absolutely agree that there is stuff that should obviously be owned by the company.  That's a far degree from them up high deciding "we don't want to change lightbulb, let's outsuource facilities" vs employing Bob as a maintenance man.  Major construction projects however, why would BT own that capability?

[barakta]

I think he will leave ITU next week but may never walk again after Matron finished with him.

HAHAHAHAHA

My godmothers plural were Matron type nurses in midwifery... Scary women...

[Beardy]

Ms Beardy the younger received a compliment from her matron this afternoon, though it was barbed. There was a discussion with students in progress and matron was questioning the greens about what qualities a good nurse had. One of the bright young things said Looking the part, whereupon matron agreed, but the caveated with Well mostly. Take Ms Beardy the younger says Matron, she isn’t the smartest, in fact she looks like she’s been dragged through a hedge backwards, but she Is a very good nurse. ms B the Y was a bit taken aback at this and says I’m not quite sure how I should take that Fiona. Matron says, it’s what the call a backhanded complement Ms B the y.

Mind ewe, she does have a point, Ms B the Y is indeed a scruffy article.

[Mrs Pingu]

I'm sure most patients would rather have a competent, caring, scruffy nurse than the opposite....

[Kim]

I'm sure most patients would rather have a competent, caring, scruffy nurse than the opposite....

Indeed.  IME they're much more likely to be able to take your mind off the pain with tales of passing out on a giant Bagpuss with a purloined cylinder of nitrous oxide...

[andrewc]

You are welcome to stay at our place if you wish to go via Peterborough/Cambridge and split the journey Andrew. I could pick you up and probably then take you over to the midland line to Lpool via MK or Bletchley. Dunno how that would affect ticket prices. Or failing that just tranfer you over.

Thanks Bob.  Just booked Harwich  > Cambridge > Birmingham > Liverpool.  Nearly 7 hours & £85       

[Mrs Pingu]

I'm sure most patients would rather have a competent, caring, scruffy nurse than the opposite....

Indeed.  IME they're much more likely to be able to take your mind off the pain with tales of passing out on a giant Bagpuss with a purloined cylinder of nitrous oxide...

Snort!

[Beardy]

I don’t know whether to rant about this or to just sit in a corner and cry,
I’ve just spent a very pleasant but sad evening with two of my children and one of thems partners. All three of them are graduates, and one and a post grad deploma. They’re all gainfully employed in professional jobs, one as a nura, one as a social worker and one as a legacies manager with a major charity. They all work incredibly hard and get paid well for there efforts. They’re all looking ate having to move this autum because the people they flat share with are moving on. This is upsetting to them obviously. The couple would really like to settle down and start thinking about a family, after all my boy is 28 this September and his gf 25 at Christmas. The chances of this happening is so close to zero it’s not worth talking about. As my not daughter in law said rather poignantly, we’ve not even got our own mattress.

There has got to be something wrong with our society when professionals cannot even consider being able to buy a home in London. Yes, sure, both the social worker,and th nurse could get jobs outside London tomorrow, and frankly I'm not wnterly sure why they wouldn’t. But where will that leave us if all those that can leave London did. 

Ok, I admit I have an ulterior motive because I want grandchildren, but really, our society is so screwed it makes me want to weep.

[Ham]

Have they considered shared ownership? While we ended up helping Miss Ham + bf buy outright (theirs was a slightly unusual situation in that they could afford the mortgage but struggled to get it signed off) they looked (and found) a couple of shared ownership places. The final one was a third floor flat; that was before Miss Ham was pregnant, didn't seem like such a good idea after.

PM me if you want to know more about the areas.

[rafletcher]

My sister is a nurse. She moved from Hailsham to Boston, Lincs, because exact same money and housing half the price.

[Pickled Onion]

There has got to be something wrong with our society when professionals cannot even consider being able to buy a home in London.

I think that's been the case for a very long time, for anyone with a "normal" job.

[ian]

It's sadly normal now for 'children' (in the twenties and thirties) to need the Bank of Mum and Dad to get close to buying a property. I laugh heartily (OK, I don't, I sigh) when I see a one-bed in E&C up for £150k. That's for a 25% share of a flat that would only qualify as large if it were a shoebox.

Of course, it sucks if you don't have a Bank of M&D to fall back on (and it perniciously it concentrates wealth). To be honest, I don't think people should rush into home ownership, be young – rent, move, get drunk, have sex – there's nothing grimmer than people in their early twenties who sit in a dank flat, never going out, never taking holidays, never having fun – all trying to save, save, save so they can maybe get a slippy grasp on the first rung of the fabled 'property ladder.' People ought to be able to chill out, enjoy being young, and then, once they're ready to settle, buy a place. At which point in any sane world it would be affordable, as they've been working for several years.

We move out to the edge of London, the thought of paying a minimum of £750k and likely a lot more for the sort out house we wanted – and that in zone 4 of SE London just seemed insanity. Most of the people in our demographic have left London for cheaper houses and schools (and there are great schools in London, you just can't afford to live near them) which is a bit sad and to the city's ultimate detriment.

[Mrs Pingu]

Here's a thought. If the Bank of Mum & Dad stopped poneying up, would house prices drop to a slightly more acheiveable level?

[Kim]

Here's a thought. If the Bank of Mum & Dad stopped poneying up, would house prices drop to a slightly more acheiveable level?

Doubt it.  There's no shortage of buy-to-let or buy-to-park-money buyers.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I met a woman yesterday whose son has just graduated from an institute of higher education in this here Bristol which has probably featured in this very column. He and his girlfriend bought a van to live in, planning to park up in Clifton somewhere – presumably the Downs. They are not Travellers or neo-Hippies.

[Kim]

I met a woman yesterday whose son has just graduated from an institute of higher education in this here Bristol which has probably featured in this very column. He and his girlfriend bought a van to live in, planning to park up in Clifton somewhere – presumably the Downs. They are not Travellers or neo-Hippies.

That sounds like a creative way to exacerbate the Clifton parking apocalypse...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Van dwelling is a big thing in Bristol. There have been complaints from house dwellers about van residents in their streets shitting in the gutters, for instance. And at least two cases of arson attacks on inhabited vans.

[rogerzilla]

Ever tried redeeming one of those experience day vouchers?  I can see how they make a profit.  There are so many restrictions on dates and location, and requirements (e.g. original till receipt FOR A GIFT) that I bet a third get binned.

[barakta]

Renting is often more expensive than most mortgages these days... so yeah buy to let landlords and all the money goes to them rather than equity of any kind.

[TheLurker]

Renting is often more expensive than most mortgages these days...

Alas t'was ever thus, even when Lurker was a lad and dinosaurs roamed the earth.  The difference, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, was that house prices weren't stupidly unachievably multiples of the salaries that many people earnt.

[Paul]

Listen: if you’re going to post in the rant thread, can you please spice up the language? I might as well be reading the grumble thread.

Arse.

[barakta]

Microsoft FUCKING WORD WHY ARE YOU SO SHIT?

I am having to copy without formatting a document from A to B cos there is SOMETHING in the document fucking it all up. Probably Libre or Open Fucking office contamination. I can't see it in the show shitting formatting button.

DEEPLY FUCKING TEDIOUS. 

Can I go back to 2010 please, cos 2013 and 2016 are SHIT and unusable and crash constantly.

Oh and don't ever try and have columns in a document you want page numbers in, cos that'd be too much to fucking ASK. BASTARDS!

(Is that sweary enough?)