The grumpy thread

[GrumpiusMaximus]

16 minutes ago, Crackers said:

Spent most of my day sending shittograms to a university lecturer who just does. not. get. it. when I could have been working on the 4 assignment deadlines he helpfully* moved from January and March to tonight with less than 24 hours' notice.

The level of organisation at this uni is embarrassing, to the point where it's genuinely funny. Absolutely horrific, if I was an external assessor looking at this place, I'd be having some serious words. 

You don't study where I work do you?  Sounds about right.  Let me just go and alter those Turnitin submission dates...

[Crackers]

41 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

You don't study where I work do you?  Sounds about right.  Let me just go and alter those Turnitin submission dates...

I doubt it, but it'd be bloody funny if we did.

It's almost unbelievably shite.

[Crackers]

50 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

Are you on a sponsored degree/degree apprenticeship?  If you are, at least this isn't coming out of your own pocket.

I am indeed. I'm pretty pissed of as-is, so if I was paying for this myself I'd be absolutely mortified. 

[Fumbler]

Just now, Crackers said:

I am indeed. I'm pretty pissed of as-is, so if I was paying for this myself I'd be absolutely mortified. 

Shit ain't it?

[captain_70s]

45 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

You don't study where I work do you?  Sounds about right.  

Must be the same guy organising the work at our place. Adding you to the work rota at 23:15 for a job the following day which is 2 hours drive away that you need to be at for 8am? Standard m9.

[omegod]

On 12/14/2021 at 9:49 AM, dozeydustman said:

Why can’t this lurgy do one. 8 days now I’ve been laid up with all sorts of snot, coughs, headaches and joint aches. I had a second PCR yesterday morning and that’s come through negative.

Bronchial infection and a heavy cold really isn’t fun.

I'm getting absolutely twatted by this currently, it needs to fuck off 

[gm]

3 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I refitted the thermostat housing to the Mazda at lunchtime and to nobody's great surprise the JB Weld repair didn't hold.  

Looking at the underbonnet layout again I don't think the MX5 solution is going to work either - the pipe on the MX5 housing exits at 90° rather than straight out (because longitudinal engine), if I have it pointing backwards it'll foul the distributor and if I have it pointing forwards I won't have enough clearance between the pipe and the radiator to get the radiator top hose on - unless I remove the radiator fan assembly, which probably isn't a very good idea.

So it looks like I might have to bite the bullet and buy an overpriced American Festiva housing...

not sure if it’s any help but mx5 mk1 1.6 and 1.8 have different thermostat housings - have you looked at both types ? 

[grogee]

Today I learned that my job is being TUPE'd over to the mothership we do work for. Sad because the Swedish outfit I'm with today are a nice company to work for. 

The customer, on the other hand, is a corporate giant I thought I'd seen the back of after an unhappy decade there. 

Anyone have any experience with TUPE? (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment))

[hairnet]

On 12/14/2021 at 10:40 AM, Sir Chocolate Teapot said:

I have been vaccinated abroad, i have had 3 vaccines for covid, i am registered here in uk with a doctor now.

Nhs says now possible to register foreign vaccines on nhs for covid pass.

I queue online diligently and with true British patience to make a booking to physically show my papers and get them registered.

I tell them where i am in the country.

They give me my nearest centre able to deal with foreign vaccines.

Sheffield.

I live in Basingstoke !! 150 miles away.

A 300 mile round trip to show some papers.

 

heard this on the news - for some reason if furrin vacced theres only 15 places in the whole country that are dealing with that - makes no difference if youre regd with a doc or have been living here 15 years - if its another countries vacc

this happens

its insane - even tho european countries injections are coming from the same makers as the ones here

 

[Crackers]

1 hour ago, Fumbler said:

Shit ain't it?

Just a touch. 

Given that they've basically got a room full of 20-something year old unqualified apprentices telling them how the hell to do their job, you'd think they'd take that as a bit of a hint, but no apparently not. 

I've had more productive discussions with brick walls.

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 14/12/2021 at 09:49, dozeydustman said:

Why can’t this lurgy do one. 8 days now I’ve been laid up with all sorts of snot, coughs, headaches and joint aches. I had a second PCR yesterday morning and that’s come through negative.

Bronchial infection and a heavy cold really isn’t fun.

8 days? PAH! try having it linger for the thick end of 3 weeks! 🤧

[Fumbler]

19 minutes ago, Crackers said:

Just a touch. 

Given that they've basically got a room full of 20-something year old unqualified apprentices telling them how the hell to do their job, you'd think they'd take that as a bit of a hint, but no apparently not. 

I've had more productive discussions with brick walls.

I feel for you. I hope it gets better because a degree is a rather useful thing to have.

[chaseracer]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

Anyone have any experience with TUPE? (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment))

Plenty, but from a TU perspective.  Advice available if needed.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

3 hours ago, Crackers said:

I doubt it, but it'd be bloody funny if we did.

It's almost unbelievably shite.

It would.  Where I work is well known for its high levels of organisation and effective communications...

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, grogee said:

Today I learned that my job is being TUPE'd over to the mothership we do work for. Sad because the Swedish outfit I'm with today are a nice company to work for. 

The customer, on the other hand, is a corporate giant I thought I'd seen the back of after an unhappy decade there. 

Anyone have any experience with TUPE? (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment))

Er...yes, as an employer. It has good points, and bad.

[Crackers]

20 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

It would.  Where I work is well known for its high levels of organisation and effective communications...

If anything, that confirms we're not talking about the same place... 

[captain_70s]

On the hunt for a lock-up garage again.

£175-200 a month within walking distance, £100 15 miles away, £100 for "secure parking" aka a space in a communal car park that comes with a flat that's being sublet.

Every time I look the prices are rising. My flat is currently worth £200 a month more than when I moved in 5 years ago. Rent hasn't gone up but I reckon my landlady is thinking of selling up, given the place has doubled in value since she bought it a 12 years ago...

[sdkrc]

Hey, at least wages are rising in-line with property pric...oh

8 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

Every time I look the prices are rising. My flat is currently worth £200 a month more than when I moved in 5 years ago. Rent hasn't gone up but I reckon my landlady is thinking of selling up, given the place has doubled in value since she bought it a 12 years ago...

 

[Spiny Norman]

49 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

On the hunt for a lock-up garage again.

£175-200 a month within walking distance, £100 15 miles away, £100 for "secure parking" aka a space in a communal car park that comes with a flat that's being sublet.

Jings! The lock up I had when I lived in the Wyndford was about £15 a month, and it wasn't THAT long ago, like this century!

[captain_70s]

5 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

Jings! The lock up I had when I lived in the Wyndford was about £15 a month, and it wasn't THAT long ago, like this century!

Council stuff is still peanuts, but the waiting list is ridiculous, priority for council residents/disabled, etc and obviously most of them are being flattened and turned into flats.

Me and Girlfriend_70s accidentally walked to Wyndford from the Bontanics once, got to a point where "NO GRASSES" was spray painted over the pathway and decided to head back. As, while I'm not a grass, I look a lot like a fucking grass...

[High Jetter]

I have 3 lockups, in a gated, overlooked compound. 2x £85 pcm, 1x £90.

[Spiny Norman]

51 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

 

Me and Girlfriend_70s accidentally walked to Wyndford from the Bontanics once, got to a point where "NO GRASSES" was spray painted over the pathway and decided to head back.

You must have misunderstood, there's a healthy rivalry surrounding the annual beautiful gardens competition, that'll be all that sign meant. 😛

[Sloth in a bowl]

On 12/13/2021 at 2:44 PM, wuvvum said:

That didn't go well.  Went out to the Mazda at lunchtime to check the coolant level, noticed a drip from under the thermostat housing so removed it to check whether the gasket was seated properly.

Well shit.  That's that car out of action then until I can source a replacement.  Only possibilities I've found so far are a new housing from a site in the Philippines which won't post outside the country, and a rather overpriced used Ford Festiva housing on eBay US. @gricer do you have any hot tips for sourcing bits for these?  I could try JB Weld I suppose but that's unlikely to be a long term solution...

 

No compatable Kia part I assume either.

[beko1987]

I feel the pain re rent... I'm paying a good £250 a mo th below market rate, 1 bed flats on the same estate are creeping up to what I pay for my 2 bed house with garden 😢

I'm hoping over a decade of paying the rent on time (a week early actually but they don't mind) and generally keeping quiet keeps it low 😂

[Yank Tank]

whoever said "no point crying over spilt milk" clearly never spilt four pints of semi skimmed into the front footwell of their company car.

holy shit, i've never smelt anything like it.  i am uneasy about these latvian car washes, so what should i do? mobile valeter? 

please for the love of god send help. s.o.s

[juular]

4 minutes ago, Yank Tank said:

whoever said "no point crying over spilt milk" clearly never spilt four pints of semi skimmed into the front footwell of their company car.

holy shit, i've never smelt anything like it.  i am uneasy about these latvian car washes, so what should i do? mobile valeter? 

please for the love of god send help. s.o.s

Absolutely tonnes of bicarb as a first step. Leave for as long as possible, vacuum, repeat.

[sdkrc]

The only thing that will get semi-skimmed out is whole milk and lots of it

[Bren]

White vinegar. That is all.

[jakebullet]

Idiot sister's dog has been off it's food, yet at the same time getting fatter. As it's a greedy bastard eating machine we've been saying take it to the vets, it's obviously broken. She finally takes it today, and they say it's insides are full of blood / pus & it's fucking fucked m8, big time.

Not sure exactly what's wrong, but vets have been on phone to insurance to find out just how many pricey tests they can do. Idiot sister of course has it insured for tuppence, so they'll soon have spent all the money.

Ma is really upset.

[wuvvum]

13 hours ago, Sloth in a bowl said:

No compatable Kia part I assume either.

Kia Pride is the same but I can't find one of those either.

I've bought a MX5 housing for 13 quid - assuming it fits I'm going to try to wangle something together with a 90° reducing elbow and a joiner.  I begrudge paying nearly 100 quid for a used Festiva housing from the US.  That's almost 20% of the car's value...