The grumpy thread

[chadders]

In the last few years we've had 5 friends with cancer - 3 are no longer needing any treatment ,a fourth is awaiting test results. The latter wasn't expected to see this last Xmas so we've our fingers crossed that she has improved. The fifth, sadly, died a few months after diagnosis.

 

As Tamworthbay said quite a lot of forms of it are treatable and it's ever improving - our youngest is doing a couple of cancer projects as his Ph.D and he seems pretty positive in the way things are going.

[Tamworthbay]

In the last few years we've had 5 friends with cancer - 3 are no longer needing any treatment ,a fourth is awaiting test results. The latter wasn't expected to see this last Xmas so we've our fingers crossed that she has improved. The fifth, sadly, died a few months after diagnosis.

 

As Tamworthbay said quite a lot of forms of it are treatable and it's ever improving - our youngest is doing a couple of cancer projects as his Ph.D and he seems pretty positive in the way things are going.

I did my PhD on lung cancer over twenty years ago, it was like the dark ages compared to what can be done now. Sadly it’s not 100% yet but progress is being made year on year.

[chadders]

I'm gobsmacked about the amount of money and brainpower being applied. His main project, if I understand it correctly, is to try and find a reasonably reliable way of seeing how effective any treatment is during the course of the treatment so that people are not going through hell with,say,chemotherapy,and it's having no effect.

[purplebargeken]

So sorry to hear this mate.

[mrbenn]

Bad news JYD, sorry to hear

[loserone]

I did my PhD on lung cancer

Do you smoke, out of interest? Did you?

[twosmoke300]

Jesus Christ just let me go mr cold . I’m done , I give in , you have won!

[Tamworthbay]

Do you smoke, out of interest? Did you?

No chance, I had to be in on some post mortems when they extracted the tumourous cells we used and it wasn’t a nice experience. It would have stopped me smoking if I had been a smoker I think. Saying that I have failed to stop my Mum smoking but as she’s in her 80s it seems pointless now. Sadly the drug I was researching didn’t turn out to work very well at all but all research helps to add to the general knowledge and the basis of our research had come from a chemical discovered in tomatoes of all things.

[cros]

Two relatives have recently bought nearly new cars. Both took up the dealer's £300 paintwork treatment, which since you can't even see it is probably non-existent anyway. I bet those garages are laughing their bollocks off.

[Tamworthbay]

And just found out my Nephew has been diagnosed with throat cancer he will see the oncologist next week so fingers crossed here that it’s treatable but I think it’s been caught fairly early so hopefully will be.

[angle]

Rumour has it the Dalai Lama is a regular on pistonheads....

I've seen the Dalai Lama drive past me - in a gold Camry. He's much more AS.

 

(I know it sounds like I've made this up, but it's completely true)

[loserone]

Two relatives have recently bought nearly new cars. Both took up the dealer's £300 paintwork treatment, which since you can't even see it is probably non-existent anyway. I bet those garages are laughing their bollocks off.

I used to put supagard on. It would be an extra 20 minutes on the valet, and we'd usually make one kit last three cars without scrimping. I had no training to do it, but it's a fairly straightforward two part polish / buff, a wheel spray and a fabric spray. Plus a nice bag with shampoo, a sponge and a chamois.

 

It's probably worthwhile protecting new paint, but if I bought a new car I'd be using some nice autoglym stuff on it when I got home, to do a proper job for a lot less money

[Kiltox]

Had diamondbrite on my Duster for £130, actually rather effective.

[Timewaster]

I had my moment of this in the middle of Christmas dinner.

 

We don't generally drink alcohol, but had a variety of things on the table, including some of the more fancy stuff than usual. Red grape Scholer (or however it's spelled) is a favourite of mine...burned only usually get it at this time of the year as it's expensive.

 

I took a sip and nearly spat it back out all over my dinner

 

Of course they've done the same thing as everyone else and replaced the sugar with bloody sweeteners haven't they. So it tastes to me like someone has dumped a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in the bottle.

 

Back to the classic coke or Pepsi then.

Feel your pain. I'm told only a small percentage of people can taste sweetners

 

I can and they are bloody vile.

 

 

Edit: just caught up with those cancer stories.

 

Sorry for all.

 

Lost my aunt this time last year after a short illness. She was 80 but strong as an ox.

Went to the doctor with a persistent cough and they discovered the worst. Very advanced and all over in 3 months.

 

Some hope though, a couple of colleagues have had effective treatment and are back on their feet.

 

Treatment is really good if caught early.

[loserone]

Actually, I'd forgotten about that, I also did diamondbrite for a bit. That came in little bottles instead of sachets, and lasted six cars instead of three.

 

Still have some, somewhere.

[SiC]

HMRC. Fuck me.

 

Self Assessment said that I need to pay Student Loan. Despite me entering it into the online SA calculator and also my P60 clearly showing it, after phoning up it appears that their records seem to think I have not paid any in. Took a bit of arguing before he decided to go look elsewhere to check and "wouldn't be a moment". Then the call cut off about 2 minutes later. Of course, its now too late to try and call them back.

 

Even more frustrating is that I paid it off this tax year, but their system doesn't seem to want to even know about this.

[junkyarddog]

Many forms of cancer are very treatable these days, I hope it’s one that they can sort.

Sadly not,passed away today.

[Tamworthbay]

Sadly not,passed away today.

Sorry to hear that mate Hopefully we will live to see a day when all cancer is treatable. Just got off the phone to my sister after an hour, she is understandably terrified of what could happen to my nephew. The worst time in many ways is between the first contact and diagnosis and the not knowing bit. His appointment is next week so it’s going to be a long few days.

[Parky]

No chance, I had to be in on some post mortems when they extracted the tumourous cells we used and it wasn’t a nice experience. It would have stopped me smoking if I had been a smoker I think. Saying that I have failed to stop my Mum smoking but as she’s in her 80s it seems pointless now. Sadly the drug I was researching didn’t turn out to work very well at all but all research helps to add to the general knowledge and the basis of our research had come from a chemical discovered in tomatoes of all things.

Interestingly I dabbled in some shares in a company called Provexis some years ago who made a juice called Fruitflow which was based around tomato extract (the gel around the seeds as I recall). Apparently it worked as well as warfarin for preventing blood clots. Surprised it didn’t catch on but I think the company were holding on for the big deal from AstraZeneca or Glaxo.

 

Probably a heck of a lot of things growing on the land or crawling at the bottom of the Marianas Trench that could hold the key to cures for various conditions

[Tamworthbay]

Interestingly I dabbled in some shares in a company called Provexis some years ago who made a juice called Fruitflow which was based around tomato extract (the gel around the seeds as I recall). Apparently it worked as well as warfarin for preventing blood clots. Surprised it didn’t catch on but I think the company were holding on for the big deal from AstraZeneca or Glaxo.

Probably a heck of a lot of things growing on the land or crawling at the bottom of the Marianas Trench that could hold the key to cures for various conditions

AstraZeneca paid for my research, I still have the jacket but nothing else. They had an enormous facility at Bracknell where I worked in conjunction with Royal Holloway. The kit and expertise they had was amazing but sadly the drug I was working on was subject to significant processing within the body and therefore not effective.

[Guest Hooli]

 

Probably a heck of a lot of things growing on the land or crawling at the bottom of the Marianas Trench that could hold the key to cures for various conditions

 

Funny you should say that, I was reading about this earlier & it was found a lot closer than the bottom of the ocean.

 

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ancient-cure-in-fermanagh-soil-may-lead-to-antibiotic-breakthrough-37494745.html

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Now officially part of the elderly tribe, in that I've now had to order varifocals. Old before my time. Feckin' expensive as well; three hundred quid. There's autoshite out there that costs less.

 

*stumps off into distance, muttering under breath*

[somewhatfoolish]

HMRC. Fuck me.

 

Self Assessment said that I need to pay Student Loan. Despite me entering it into the online SA calculator and also my P60 clearly showing it, after phoning up it appears that their records seem to think I have not paid any in. Took a bit of arguing before he decided to go look elsewhere to check and "wouldn't be a moment". Then the call cut off about 2 minutes later. Of course, its now too late to try and call them back.

 

Even more frustrating is that I paid it off this tax year, but their system doesn't seem to want to even know about this.

Having just done this and encountered the same or similar(student loan fully paid off), I just set the repayment amount to zero; trying to do anything else caused the thing to get upset and send me back to do it again. In related grin territory the SLC decided they owed me a rebate and are sending me £400; curious how them refunding money I shouldn't have paid in the first place feels like a win.

[Kiltox]

Parading the ringer you have for sale on YouTube seems like a great idea https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YTKddTXK-kA

[Remspoor]

Parading the ringer you have for sale on YouTube seems like a great idea https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YTKddTXK-kA

Maybe time call himself Boycie?

[LostnotFound]

Its 2019 now ladies and gentleman. You live in a town where everyone has gas central heating, not in the middle of fucking nowhere with your own forest and seasoned log store.  Burning shit from a petrol forecourt like it's the lifestyle pages of the Guardian in 2005 is really not a sign of how classy you are.

 

Get into the fucking sea morons, lowering air quality more than a dozen old transits idling away just to try and impress your inlaws is proof that old people really shouldn't dare moan about how self obsessed the youth of today are.

[SierraMikeHotel]

There are quite a few on the estate where I live - it's quite a handy way to tell which are still council and which are privately owned. The council are gradually fitting solar panels while the owners are, as you say, attempting to gas themselves. Insanity.

[dozeydustman]

Sorry for your news Junkyarddog

[BorniteIdentity]

Its 2019 now ladies and gentleman. You live in a town where everyone has gas central heating, not in the middle of fucking nowhere with your own forest and seasoned log store.  Burning shit from a petrol forecourt like it's the lifestyle pages of the Guardian in 2005 is really not a sign of how classy you are.

 

Get into the fucking sea morons, lowering air quality more than a dozen old transits idling away just to try and impress your inlaws is proof that old people really shouldn't dare moan about how self obsessed the youth of today are.

 

One of the strongest rants of the year so far.  9/10.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I do know people that have a log burner as their central heating.  In fact, until 1997 my parent's house in the middle of Gravesend didn't have any gas to it and all the hot water was from the Aga - which burned coal.  A twice-daily ritual of my Dad going back and forth with coals to dump them in the metal ash bin at the back of the house.  We even had a coal store in the cellar with a chute and every year or so, we'd get a ton or two of coal delivered.  Like we were in 1890.  Which was appropriate given the house was built in 1898.  Lead cold pipes and all.

 

A right bugger when we came back from holiday, too.  As there was no hot water and you had to re-light it.

 

Must have been a marvel in Victorian times to have running hot water.  However, they eventually capitulated and got gas.