The grumpy thread

[MarvinsMom]

i have 3 weeks holidays coming my way in December, i finish on December 14th and go back to work on January 8th.

 

i had to book those days off more than a year ago, and i've had to save those days out of my holiday entitlement.

 

this isn't a grump (for me) though as i get to stop in bed, when the weather is cold, it dark all the time and there isn't much on the telly.

[M'coli]

Sounds like a waste of holiday to me, I'd rather go to work when the daylight and weather are "bag'o-shit-o'clock" than that, or worse still have to deal with "Death By Close Family" and their shit existential mind games, thanks very much.

[captain_70s]

I'm off from Dec 23rd till Jan 5th due to the fact work is closed, not actually sure if I've worked for long enough to earn that many days paid holiday so this Christmas may be interesting financially...

[nebuchenezer]

What is it with youths, alcohol and Saturday evenings - The amount of cock warblers hanging around Sandwich train station last night was impressive. I pity the people who live round there if they have to put up with that racket every week.

 

Shame really as the rest of yesterday was good fun - Fortress Twickenham is something to behold

[Tamworthbay]

Why does the car you really ant only become available the day after you press the button on one you like but could have passed on?

[purplebargeken]

Leg gave way as I was stepping out of the porch and I face planted the paving flags. Not happy.

[mercrocker]

The annual “let’s not do any work in December because it’s CHRISTMAS!” attitude that plagues Britain really used to piss me off. You are all sorts of pariah for trying to get people to do what they are paid to do, and thn everyone expects not to work for about a fortnight.

 

My overseas colleagues really couldn’t believe it, and have you ever tried to explain the ‘concept’ of half term to an American director in the context of why 75% of his staff asked for the same week off?

 

 I have worked in the port industry since I left school in 1975.   We only started getting Boxing Day off five years ago.   I have been working my nuts off since August which is when Christmas starts in the retail chain.    I am rostered New Years Eve and New Years Day this year.   Its not like a bloody hospital or care home - we shunt crap around in boxes.    Those friends of mine "lucky" enough to be off at Christmas usually find its compulsorily taken out of their holiday allowance.   

 

My plea would be for everybody to stop buying fucking Chinese shit in the shops every year to give to people who don't want it and chuck it in landfill every spring so the whole process starts again nine months later.    A steady demand would be a bloody god-send......

[The Moog]

One benefit of working in a college is that they shut it over Christmas and at no cost holiday wise to us. It is cheaper to do that than open all the buildings for the few hardy souls that go in.

 

They also do it at strategic points in a year e.g. day after bank holidays. Apparently saves the college about £30k each day it is shut.

[Supernaut]

  Those friends of mine "lucky" enough to be off at Christmas usually find its compulsorily taken out of their holiday allowance.

The university I work at is closed over Christmas / new year, but it's compulsorily taken out of my annual leave allowance.

 

Have I already mentioned before how much I dislike the place? Not sure I have...

[Cavcraft]

The annual “let’s not do any work in December because it’s CHRISTMAS!” attitude that plagues Britain really used to piss me off. You are all sorts of pariah for trying to get people to do what they are paid to do, and thn everyone expects not to work for about a fortnight.

 

My overseas colleagues really couldn’t believe it, and have you ever tried to explain the ‘concept’ of half term to an American director in the context of why 75% of his staff asked for the same week off?

 

Not having that, soz. I've never encountered anyone who thinks or works like that, obvs. like the last day or two before Christmas Day people do wind down a little, but what's wrong with that? You work your bollocks off all year to pay for and look forward to Chrimbo (well, some of us do) and enjoy a day or to off, unless you're unlucky enough to have to work.

 

If the 'American director' owns a British company and doesn't like half-term or WOTEVS, then the sympathy level reaches a big fat zero.

[reb]

It's not even that cold! Bloody french tat! The volvo has been sat most of the week and it started first time! I got home in the pug at 2am so had been sitting a mere 12 hours and it wouldn't start at all! (*all said from under about 6 layers of clothing with very cold fingers*)

 

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[robinmasters]

Paranoid, on a fucking Datsun advert.

[Captain Furious]

Grin...my mk2 Granada has never idled properly since I've had it, it always felt like you were keeping it running against its will, it shuddered and vibrated sat at traffic lights and trying to crawl along in traffic. I had tweaked the carb and timing till it's eyes popped out but only ever achieved a marginal improvement at best, This progressed into a low down misfire on the last couple of trips during the summer and I hadn't touched it since then.

 

So today, before tucking it away for the winter, I did the plugs, leads, and valve clearances, my God...it idles like a Rolls Royce Phantom now! Even when you put it into drive which drops the revs to about 600 it's barely perceptible that it's even running from inside the car. It's also released a fair few extra horses now that all 6 cylinders are joining in, it will sit happily at <ahem> motorway speeds without needing the pedal buried in the carpet. I'm literally on a high that I've actually fixed something!

 

So where does the grump come in...well, I found 5/6 of the exhaust valves to have no clearance at all and the other one had barely any, the previous owner told me it had hardened valve seats fitted for unleaded petrol, but unless the last guy to set the valve clearances was completely clueless this has all the hallmarks of valve seat regression, so I'm thinking it probably does not have hardened valve seats after all. I'll probably have to run an additive in it from now on to be on the safe side.

[castros_bro]

The university I work at is closed over Christmas / new year, but it's compulsorily taken out of my annual leave allowance.

 

Have I already mentioned before how much I dislike the place? Not sure I have...

 

 

The university I work at is closed over Christmas / new year, but it's compulsorily taken out of my annual leave allowance.

 

Have I already mentioned before how much I amazed by their incompetence as a commercial organisation ??

 

But I managed to take all my leave before December due to circumstances so was shocked* to learn I'd be forced to have unpaid leave against my wishes.  So in my innocence*  I signed on as unemployed for the unpaid period ie not working and not getting paid.           ooohhh you could hear the shit hitting the fan as far away as Santa’s Grotto.

[dollywobbler]

The university I work at is closed over Christmas / new year, but it's compulsorily taken out of my annual leave allowance.

 

Have I already mentioned before how much I dislike the place? Not sure I have...

 

To be fair, that's pretty standard, or it has been everywhere I've worked anyway. Quite a lot of companies have a shutdown between Christmas and New Year, and very few magic up some extra holiday days for it. No longer a problem for me, as I now don't get any paid leave at all...

[Bianconeri]

Not having that, soz. I've never encountered anyone who thinks or works like that, obvs. like the last day or two before Christmas Day people do wind down a little, but what's wrong with that? You work your bollocks off all year to pay for and look forward to Chrimbo (well, some of us do) and enjoy a day or to off, unless you're unlucky enough to have to work.

 

If the 'American director' owns a British company and doesn't like half-term or WOTEVS, then the sympathy level reaches a big fat zero.

He didn’t, by accident he ended up responsible for the UK operation and could not believe the lack of work ethic.

[Timewaster]

Paranoid, on a fucking Datsun advert.

Not seen it yet but.....

 

(In best Ozzie brummy)

 

Finished wiv me woman

Cos she wouldn't buy a Longbridge car

She likes her F11

Cos a Austin won't get very far

All day long it sits outside

Cos Lucas wirings utter shite

Couldn't go out for a ride

The battery flattens overnight.

 

She went to the dealership

And bought herself some Nippon tat

It's the shade of baby shit

And hand built by the Son of Dat

Vinyl seats and radio

It's equipped like a limousine

I just want a car I know

My brummy Ado16.

[chaseracer]

He didn’t, by accident he ended up responsible for the UK operation and could not believe the lack of work ethic.

 

Your careless generalisations are troubling.  There is a vast gulf between "lack of work ethic" and "principled refusal to be exploited".

[DodgeRover]

He didn’t, by accident he ended up responsible for the UK operation and could not believe the lack of work ethic.

I prefer the New Zealand work ethic of let's crack on and get this done properly so we can finish early and go surfing or to the pub - works for me and my boss is all for it here but it's a good hour and a bit to the beach.

[eddyramrod]

FUCKING FIREWORKS!!!!!!!

 

FUCK RIGHT OFF WITH THEM!

 

It sounds like fucking Beirut out there tonight.  No wonder my poor little dog won't go out.

[dollywobbler]

Your careless generalisations are troubling.  There is a vast gulf between "lack of work ethic" and "principled refusal to be exploited".

 

Though to be fair, the UK comes 13th on the list of 'productivity' while the USA came third. I've encountered a 'lack of work ethic' amongst employees at many, many different vocations, right from my very first retail job (the classic start re-arranging stock on shelves if you see a manager).

 

New Zealand came 28th...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_hour_worked

 

It is certainly true that 'vacation' allowances are far more generous in the UK. I had a friend who worked in Texas for a while, and apparently it was two weeks holiday per year, and that was your lot.

 

EDIT - I will add that I've also seen excellent demonstrations of work ethic in many vocations. It isn't all one or the other.

[Tamworthbay]

Though to be fair, the UK comes 13th on the list of 'productivity' while the USA came third. I've encountered a 'lack of work ethic' amongst employees at many, many different vocations, right from my very first retail job (the classic start re-arranging stock on shelves if you see a manager).

 

New Zealand came 28th...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_hour_worked

 

It is certainly true that 'vacation' allowances are far more generous in the UK. I had a friend who worked in Texas for a while, and apparently it was two weeks holiday per year, and that was your lot.

 

EDIT - I will add that I've also seen excellent demonstrations of work ethic in many vocations. It isn't all one or the other.

Ah productivity, the measure that the very rich apply to just how much they can get out of a person before they finally drop.

[Guest Hooli]

Grin...my mk2 Granada has never idled properly since I've had it, it always felt like you were keeping it running against its will, it shuddered and vibrated sat at traffic lights and trying to crawl along in traffic. I had tweaked the carb and timing till it's eyes popped out but only ever achieved a marginal improvement at best, This progressed into a low down misfire on the last couple of trips during the summer and I hadn't touched it since then.

 

So today, before tucking it away for the winter, I did the plugs, leads, and valve clearances, my God...it idles like a Rolls Royce Phantom now! Even when you put it into drive which drops the revs to about 600 it's barely perceptible that it's even running from inside the car. It's also released a fair few extra horses now that all 6 cylinders are joining in, it will sit happily at <ahem> motorway speeds without needing the pedal buried in the carpet. I'm literally on a high that I've actually fixed something!

 

So where does the grump come in...well, I found 5/6 of the exhaust valves to have no clearance at all and the other one had barely any, the previous owner told me it had hardened valve seats fitted for unleaded petrol, but unless the last guy to set the valve clearances was completely clueless this has all the hallmarks of valve seat regression, so I'm thinking it probably does not have hardened valve seats after all. I'll probably have to run an additive in it from now on to be on the safe side.

 

 

I'd run it without & recheck them in a few thousand miles. If they've not changed then forget about it.

[purplebargeken]

Lovely friend of mine did a demonstration at a hall in Herts today. Some twat stole her camera and money. Bloody shitheads.

[DodgeRover]

Valve clearance are an often forgotten service item. They've probably not been checked since it was built

[richardmorris]

Your careless generalisations are troubling.  There is a vast gulf between "lack of work ethic" and "principled refusal to be exploited".

I first read the original comment, not as a lack of work ethic, but more a creeping expansion of the C word holiday. Coming to the end of the year people notice that they have leave remaining and book it to go shopping.

 

I noticed yesterday that Waitrose has cards and calenders out!

 

We close over Christmas to new year as most of our customers do too ( universities and U.K. Manufacturing chemical companies who usually do a fortnight shutdown and deep clean). I'd rather have a week off in the summer but hard luck!

[richardmorris]

Lovely friend of mine did a demonstration at a hall in Herts today. Some twat stole her camera and money. Bloody shitheads.

Not like, but commiserate.

 

We really do need a "sympathy", "commiserate " button Slartibartfast.

[Guest Hooli]

Valve clearance are an often forgotten service item. They've probably not been checked since it was built

 

That's true too.

 

When I had my XR4i  & did a proper service on it, that run smooth as silk too. So much so it was disappointing as even with almost no silencers it didn't sound like a grumbly old V6 anymore. Went a lot better mind.

[STUNO]

Though to be fair, the UK comes 13th on the list of 'productivity'

 

New Zealand came 28th...

 

 

 

At least we are happy

don't believe all the statistics you read   

[Cheggers]

Ah productivity, the measure that the very rich apply to just how much they can get out of a person before they finally drop.

How else would you propose measuring the effectiveness of your workforce?

 

 

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