The grumpy thread

[Metal Guru]

  On 30/06/2025 at 19:14, horriblemercedes said:

I think it's just how some people are. We've all been behind someone at the supermarket belt who stands there, doing nothing for several minutes while waiting then suddenly is surprised that payment is expected and scrambles to find a card. 

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At least you don’t get stuck behind people writing cheques these days. Express surprise at need to pay, find cheque book at bottom of back recently packed with groceries, look for a pen, give up looking for a pen and ask cashier, try to remember the date, give up remembering date and ask cashier, write cheque very slowly (we don’t want any mistakes, it’s the last one in the book), look for cheque card, present credit card, look for cheque card again. Get right card approved and then look for wallet / purse where it had just come from. Practice origami with receipt before finally getting out the fucking way!

I remember students used to be especially annoying, writing cheques for just half a dozen eggs or a tin of beans because they were already overdrawn at the end of Fresher’s week.

[Zelandeth]

  On 01/07/2025 at 09:21, myglaren said:

Toughened glass will do that if it has been stressed, but it may take ages after the incident when a change in temperature, not a huge change, like being on a boiling pot, will trigger it.  Windscreens can do the same.

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The shelves in our old TV cabinet in the lounge were glass - right up until one of them randomly exploded.  Tempered glass is something we actively avoid now if we can!

It was like a bloody shotgun going off.  We still occasionally find the odd little cube of glass and it must be the best part of ten years ago now.

[comfortablynumb]

I think I've said before, had a Suzuki SJ Santana with the removable hardtop and a rear screen held to the tailgate with 4 hand wheels.

One nice day I took the lot off and went out as a convertible, leaving it all in the shade.

On my return, the rear screen had randomly shattered. Took ages to get a replacement 

[comfortablynumb]

Anybody else relate to this? 🥺

[Bren]

My eldest dropped out of uni in the spring. I had told him not to bother going in the first place and he should get an apprenticeship. But he wouldn't listen.

I am sending him links for apprenticeships but he's not interested. He works part time but now has a car so that takes most of his money.

What is it with the young these days? Thry don't seem to have much drive. I was always on the lookout for something better.

[Bren]

  On 27/06/2025 at 08:08, alcyonecorporation said:

Fuck the previous owner of the SVX, again: 



Need to adjust the TPS as it's out of voltage range. 

I can't get another TPS because the fucking Americans hoard them. No money anyway. 

I'll get my mate to notch a couple of slits in them with a dremel and then replace. 

Effective range (like a phased plasma rifle) is 0.45 to 0.55v, mine is at 0.44. Hey, just what you see here buddy. 

It's really crucial the TPS is at the right voltage because the gearbox is electronically controlled. Then again, the only* thing people want in SVXs these days are fucked five speeds from a scrapyard Forester that defo hasn't been ragged to spack, so who cares about some gaylord TPS, right? 

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The TPS on my SD1 was worn out. No longer available - you need to adapt a jaguar item to fit. I pulled mine apart - a stylus/ wiper had rubbed through the carbon substrate. I bought some carbon paint and restored the substrate. Some faffing around - and making the slots bigger where the screws go - got the voltage to increase smoothly. I couldn’t get the highest voltage ( full throttle) but that's not really an issue.

I believe the paint is used in electric guitar manufacture.

[richardmorris]

  On 01/07/2025 at 11:43, Bren said:

 

What is it with the young these days? Thry don't seem to have much drive. I was always on the lookout for something better.

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Life, don't talk to me about life. The whole world is depressing and doesn't seem to have a bright future, so what's the point trying?

[Dyslexic Viking]

Summer is car crash season here. A Skoda estate that was behind a slow-moving truck doing road work was hit from behind by an older Golf right down the road from my house not long ago today.

This could just as well have been me being hit. I'm starting to dislike driving during the summer.

[DavieW]

Radio ad for some film being "released in cinemas July 2".  F-off, it's either July the 2nd or 2nd of July. F*cking Americanisms 🤬

[warch]

  On 25/06/2025 at 12:03, Sunny Jim said:

I'm working at Glastonbury. Part of the pleasure* of going to festivals is not knowing who'll be camped next to you. Sometimes you'll make friends for life, sometimes you'll make friends for a weekend of (mis) adventures, and sometimes, well sometimes people like the four who pitched up yesterday camp next to you. Parked the hire van, no made no attempt to level it before getting the deck chairs out and starting to get pissed.

Baz n Caz and Wayne n Nita, two couples in their late fifties. In lieu of a personality Baz is wearing a festival hat whereas Caz has a bubbly personality* and believes she is funny the drunker she gets. Wayne is a hen pecked husk of man, the closest he's got to satisfying Nita is that time he spent 3 minutes licking her cesarean scar thinking it was something else. Nita is a self-styled earth mother who believes in crystal healing, ley lines, past lives, the whole woo shebang.

I learnt all this yesterday as they sat out at the back of my hearse working their way through a crate of canned pre-mixed cocktails. Caz chain smokes Embassy whilst Nita sucks on a cherry vape the smell of both permeating into the hearse.

Neither couple seems to like each other or the other couple much. As they got drunker last night the passive aggressive comments got louder until an argument broke out. At this point I offered them the option of shutting the fuck up or me pouring a can of petrol over them and setting them on fire to a round of applause of other campers in the area.

Can't wait for the music to start to drown our their innane chuntering. Honestly, give me pilled up ravers or tripping hippies over pissed up boring people any day.

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Oh god. Me and Mrs warch decided to bale and run at 9.30 at night after finding out the glamping yurt (don't judge me) next to us was hosting a 60th. Alarm bells started ringing when two car loads of elderly women with that complexion a lifetime of gin and fags gives you rocked up the previous night. They surfaced at about midday the following day sitting around in dressing gowns. Even early doors we knew it wasn't going to get any better as the air was rent with people drunkenly cackling, singing along to music that was shit 40 years ago and blatantly ignoring the camp rules about noise and respecting other visitors. 

TBF the owner of the site was fucking furious when we rang up and told her what had happened (she'd already told them to fuck off and never come back) and she did offer us a free visit in future. 

Hopefully they'll all die of cirrhosis of the liver or lung disease 

[Pieman]

  On 01/07/2025 at 12:20, richardmorris said:

Life, don't talk to me about life. The whole world is depressing and doesn't seem to have a bright future, so what's the point trying?

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I live next to a family of stereotypical chavs, and every day I see more stuff that they have spent my tax money on, and they are also having as many kids as they can.  They seem to be better off and at times happier in life than I am, so I constantly wonder what the hell the point is in trying to earn a proper living.  Why do I bother?

[primeradoner]

  On 01/07/2025 at 19:15, Pieman said:

  They seem to be better off and at times happier in life than I am, so I constantly wonder what the hell the point is in trying to earn a proper living.  Why do I bother?

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Sorry that you feel this way Dave. You bother because you are bloody good at what you do. Its a shame that you cut back on the banger racing commentary because you were enthusiastic and  knowledgeable. 

[Spiny Norman]

  On 01/07/2025 at 19:15, Pieman said:

I live next to a family of stereotypical chavs, and every day I see more stuff that they have spent my tax money on, and they are also having as many kids as they can.  They seem to be better off and at times happier in life than I am, so I constantly wonder what the hell the point is in trying to earn a proper living.  Why do I bother?

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Without wanting to get all Daily Tory about it, it must be tough for a bloke (or lass) who does a 40 hour week in a fairly shit job and just about manages to keep the roof over their head, the family fed and a few treats every now and then, to look around and see what sitting on your arse doing nothing can get you if you can play the system. 

Add to that the lack of prospects or even job satisfaction  for a lot of people these days as companies screw as much as they can out of as few staff as they can get away with and wonder why no one is willing to get involved with all the shit involved in a promotion that yields an extra 2 quid an hour. 



 

[High Jetter]

  On 01/07/2025 at 17:03, DavieW said:

Radio ad for some film being "released in cinemas July 2".  F-off, it's either July the 2nd or 2nd of July. F*cking Americanisms 🤬

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Yup, only one July each year

[Bren]

  On 01/07/2025 at 12:20, richardmorris said:

Life, don't talk to me about life. The whole world is depressing and doesn't seem to have a bright future, so what's the point trying?

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I agree. I point out to my wife we are in the final third of our lives. And I am glad.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I got an (IT) escalation from our out-of-hours shift the other night as a member of staff at one of our customers couldn't log into their account due to conditional access.  His IP was flagging as being in Morocco and the customer had just that afternoon put in conditional access to prevent non-UK logins.

The chap on the phone claimed he was living in an HMO and the landlord controls his connection, so there must be something up with it.  This isn't totally implausible.  I call the customer and ask for their steer on it as we would usually block the login on the basis that it's a social engineering attempt - but he's confirmed his identity.  Customer says to let him in, so we do.

Yesterday the tech and I had a chat about it and it turns out there were other issues that had come up, like him 'not having a mobile' and using his Mum's mobile number and a number of Moroccan IP addresses on his login.  Eventually he ended up on a video call to the Operations manager there and there was very, very bright sunlight through the window.  When he was questioned he then tried to log into his account from a (personal) device but this was picked up ten minutes later as using a VPN service.  He then said that he had a Moroccan wife that he wanted to bring to the UK and tried to spin a yarn.  He was picked out for lying.

He's obviously been sacked and not so much for actually living primarily in Morocco but for lying about it.  All for a 20 hours a week at minimum wage.  In the end we did some maths and four hours a week at UK minimum wage is quite a handsome sum in Morocco.  Can't say I blame the guy for trying, just wasn't bright enough to pull it off.

[tooSavvy]

I have had my appeal chucked out for overstaying in a ticket machine/anpr camera site 🫤.

The machine was being repaired upon arrival (only the one) and I kept going out to check when the guy had gone..... then bought my ticket contactless.

I paid for 1hr (enough for coffee and a chat) and was mindful of the expiry time.

SCHOOLBOY MISTAKE 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

..... I simply failed to factor in the DELAY in purchasing the ticket >> so my 1hr ticket covered 1hr 20min when anpr snapped me exiting 😮.

Bit miffed but, well, 'computer he say NO!'

🚙💨

[bunglebus]

Tesco mobile. I'll get into it later but what a bunch of incompetent imbeciles they are

[myglaren]

Insurance up for renewal at the weekend.  Phoned them to say that I had collected three points for failing to renew my licence.

They won't insure me now

Looks like I will have to give my car to my son, so insure it as his and me as an occasional driver.

[Bren]

Need a spare key for the BMW. Messaged various companies on the internet- only one replied quoting over £400.

A chap advertising on face ache quoted just under £200 so I booked him for today - said he would put me in his diary.

No sign by half nine this morning - so I messaged him. He replied quite quickly stating he had forgot and was on a course. So much for a diary.

Hopeless.

 

[comfortablynumb]

Theres been another stabbing in a school in Finland, one killed and eight injured.

Theres wildfires in Turkey, amongst other places, threatening lives.

Various countries are kicking the shit out of each other, with corresponding loss of life.

What's the headline news?

A footballist has died.

Now don't get me wrong, it's bad when anyone dies in an accident, I seem to remember that it happens in car accidents to about 5 people each day in the UK 

Is this really headline news?

FFS!

[comfortablynumb]

George Orwell come back, all is forgiven 🤬

[EyesWeldedShut]

  On 03/07/2025 at 17:44, comfortablynumb said:

Is this really headline news?

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"If it bleeds, it leads"

No matter if it is Finland, Australia, Austria- so long as it makes people have 'the fear'?
Soon as one paper/outlet runs the story, they're all on it.
Tomorrow, summat else.
Real news they cannot be arsed reporting/investigating.

https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/mps-back-decriminalisation-of-abortion 

That's now in The Lords, didn't see anything about it in the mainstream media?

 

[comfortablynumb]

I did hear a bit about the abortion bit a couple of weeks ago.

I'm firmly with the statements of guy Martin, about distraction techniques, what is it they're hiding?

Funny how EVERYTHING has to relate to football, they've even started with the women's stuff now.

 

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

  On 03/07/2025 at 18:59, comfortablynumb said:

'm firmly with the statements of guy Martin, about distraction techniques, what is it they're hiding? Selling?

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FTFY
Advertising space.

[Metal Guru]

  On 03/07/2025 at 18:59, comfortablynumb said:

I did hear a bit about the abortion bit a couple of weeks ago.

I'm firmly with the statements of guy Martin, about distraction techniques, what is it they're hiding?

Funny how EVERYTHING has to relate to football, they've even started with the women's stuff now.

 

 

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The news is big business and getting people to watch it / buy a paper (showing my age), click online link / whatever is their aim.

Half the country don’t even know where Finland is, and most who do, don’t really care what happens there.

Many more people in the UK care about football and celebrities in general ,way more than foreign countries. So it sells the news.

If it had been an Isthmian league player, it wouldn’t have made the headlines. ( to prove that, his brother, a minor league player , was hardly mentioned). 

[comfortablynumb]

I see where you're coming from @Metal Guru, but just recently, everything seems to have to get a football reference.

News , adverts, when they mention sport, they don't mean sport, they mean specifically football. Did you hear about what happened at the Le Mans 24 hour? Or the Spa 24? No? How about the BTCC? Not that either.

Cheese rolling? Cricket?

 Nope, if it's not football you can bog off.

Just bloody annoying 

 

[High Jetter]

  On 03/07/2025 at 17:44, comfortablynumb said:

Theres been another stabbing in a school in Finland, one killed and eight injured.

Theres wildfires in Turkey, amongst other places, threatening lives.

Various countries are kicking the shit out of each other, with corresponding loss of life.

What's the headline news?

A footballist has died.

Now don't get me wrong, it's bad when anyone dies in an accident, I seem to remember that it happens in car accidents to about 5 people each day in the UK 

Is this really headline news?

FFS!

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Apparently, cos he played for Liverpool.

[Metal Guru]

  On 03/07/2025 at 20:00, High Jetter said:

Apparently, cos he played for Liverpool.

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To paraphrase Bill Shankly, “some people think football’s a matter of life and death…I can assure you it’s far more important than that”.

[bunglebus]

Just for some background, we changed to Tesco Mobile around 2.5 -3 years ago, two years ago I bought a new phone from them too. Currently my partner, her two youngest kids and I are all on one pay monthly contract with them. 

Around the end of last year/early 2025 I realised that the spam calls I had been receiving regularly every day or two seemed to have stopped, happy days. However, it slowly became apparent that I also cannot get phone calls from pretty much any organisation, so banks, eBay, government services etc are all blocked. Then certain friends started saying they couldn't call me, and nor could my boss when he was in Europe, and as it turned out no-one could call me when I was out there either. I have been back and forth with them for months, in person and over the phone, they've changed all sorts of settings, checked my phone multiple times, tried the SIM in other phones, sent three replacement SIMs - nothing has worked. The last straw was trying to access my building society account and not receiving the access code via text. It seems these are now blocked too, so I cannot any financial services, eBay etc. The final straw was them sending a new SIM, but turning the old one off before it arrived, leaving me with no phone at all while I was working! Here's my current exchange with them after I started a complaint with them: