The grumpy thread

[SambaS]

And if it's not thoughts it's music. Constantly playing over and over and over. At least it's different ones. I had Peter Gabriel - Biko on repeat in my head for 5 days once.. September '77 Port Elizabeth weather fine. It was business as usual in Police room 619...

[SambaS]

I just want mental solitude. I could be a nice happy person. I've learned the Power of Now, tried meditation, succeeded to a point but nothing lasts. Infact. The happiest I ever am is zoned out working on the cars, unless I'm identified as miserable c*nt or sarchastic basard then it's a chore. Or like this week absolutely fatigued. I realise I hauent even got any real problem. Compared to someone with real problems, but it's subjective. This is my life. Shut up brain let me sleep

[Cavcraft]

Can only sleep 3 hours a night recently. Got 3 voices in my head. A right sarchastic bastard, a negative, miserable c**t and someone who tries but fails to keep the other two under control. If I could just sleep that would be something

 

I'll have a word with her when she gets in from work, sorry about that.

[SambaS]

[Lankytim]

The Saabs new owner is collecting it on Saturday but the parts to fix the Xantia havent arrived yet leaving me without a car to use for work. TIMING FAIL.

[Rocket88]

And if it's not thoughts it's music. Constantly playing over and over and over. At least it's different ones. I had Peter Gabriel - Biko on repeat in my head for 5 days once.. September '77 Port Elizabeth weather fine. It was business as usual in Police room 619...

 

Radio 4 with earphones does it for me. However, you do wake up with some strange sublimanally aquired facts after listening to the World Service whilst your asleep..............

[SambaS]

About an hour after my final rant.... surrounded by the light of day, birdsong sent me to sleep, but wasn't up perticualrly (pertinaciously yes Google spellchecker that is what I meant) early so it's probably going to be the same thing tonight. Unless I drink myself to sleep but that doesn't bode well with doing anything on Saturday.

 

 

What the heck is up with Google spellchecker it used to be quite good.

[Mr Lobster]

Woke up at 3 this morning, couldn't get back to sleep what with all the coughing and that so came downstairs to watch telly.

 

Or actually to see what I could find on iplayer.

 

And I found 'Barely Legal Drivers' (BBC3).

 

So the premise of the show is thus - 2 kids get use of a car for a week fitted with cameras and data logging and what have you, the parents and a retired traffic plod then watch the video and decide whether they should get a prize of a car or advanced driving lessons. With me so far? Good.

 

Aside from the fact that all the drivers are knobs what really annoyed me this morning was this -

 

Parents and ex plod watch videos. Young lad has been driving about, speeding a bit, gets a parking ticket, runs a load of red lights then drives to a hotel, parks up and goes clubbing. Drinks about ninety fancy drinks then after about twenty minutes sleep sets off to drive home.

 

As he's about to drive off, a member of the production team decide they need to breathalyse him and he is twice the legal limit. But lets not forget that he was about to drive off if they had not stopped him.

 

What riles me though is not the cockjockey himself but the retired plod.

 

She views the video - he's on a dual carriageway with a 40 limit and doing 50. She starts barking on that if someone is hit at 30 theres a lot better chance they live than if they are hit at 40 despite the fact that it was a 40 limit (even though he was doing 50) and barely makes an issue of the fact that he was about to drive at twice the legal alcohol limit which from where I am sat is perhaps a rather more serious offence.

 

Anyway, I suspect i'm not in the target demographic for the show tbh what with being over 14 and I suspect anyone who watches it who can actually drive will feel a sense of raising blood pressure.

[philibusmo]

The shit about idiot young drivers on BBC3

 

I'm about a fortnight from my 21st birthday and get tarred with the same brush as every other fucking idiotic 17-23 year old on the road, tweeting, texting, and generally fucking about which then leads to an accident.

 

I saw the trailer for this program a few times and it royally got on my tits. With Police Camera Accident saying that young drivers cause 147% of all Britain's road accidents and kill over 9,000 nuns and kittens per year, this heap of fucking shit and at least one local idiot twatting into something at 50mph in a 30 limit per month makes everyone including insurance companies assume that I will be crashing into literally everything.

 

I have been driving since my 17th birthday on the public roads, and before that on private land. I am yet to have an accident more severe than bumping a high kerb at 0.0001mph, yet I still pay well over £1000 overall on insurance per year.

[Mr Lobster]

It really is sensationalist, cheap telly that's just going for ratings. Does paint young drivers in a bad light which is unfair as I'm sure the majority are nothing like those featured.

[ruffgeezer]

Bleddy mood swings like a mofo at the moment, but it'll pass I know, just struggling to plow through them this week.

 

More importantly, some cunt helped themselves to the ancient Michelin map from the garage I work at's forecourt. WANKERS. It wasn't even in decent nick.

[autofive]

those enamel maps are worth a fortune in europe

[hairymel]

It really is sensationalist, cheap telly that's just going for ratings. Does paint young drivers in a bad light which is unfair as I'm sure the majority are nothing like those featured.

 

my experience is many young drivers drive like wankers on occasion, myself included*

 

*a sense of self preservation kicked in many years ago but i still like a bit of rear action in a snowy carpark

[Vin]

The shit about idiot young drivers on BBC3

 

I'm about a fortnight from my 21st birthday

 

WHOA. Back the truck up...Surely you mean 31st birthday at least.....

 

There is no way a 20 year old turned up to 'Shitefest'TM 2012 in a Hyundai Pony Tropicana....is there

 

I thought you were just an old bloke who looked a bit younger....

[philibusmo]

The shit about idiot young drivers on BBC3

 

I'm about a fortnight from my 21st birthday

 

WHOA. Back the truck up...Surely you mean 31st birthday at least.....

 

There is no way a 20 year old turned up to 'Shitefest'TM 2012 in a Hyundai Pony Tropicana....is there

 

I thought you were just an old bloke who looked a bit younger....

 

Nope, I am pretty damn certain that I mean 21st birthday. It's either that or there is a 10 year gap in my life that I have completely forgotten after inhaling the fumes the Toyota Cressida with borked carb used to belch out when started.

 

I get this quite a bit. People either assume I'm 30 or 17. Not that I mind particularly.

 

By the way A. Dicky, I am loving that radio. Many a time it has severely bothered me that the original radio is in one of my cars and looks great but is knackered or only picks up longwave and medium wave which these days is as good as useless. That is just about the perfect solution you have there.

[vulgalour]

The exhaust has started blowing at the manifold on the Princess. We all know what that means. Sigh.

[Lankytim]

I'm sat outside Stoke station picking up the buyer of the Saab. Is he here? No he isnt. His phone is off too. Have I been stood up?

[philibusmo]

How hard can it be to find a set of in ear headphones that fit my ears?

The over ear jobbies are too bulky and get right on my nerves as they are not easily pocketable. The little squidgy ones that go into you ear pop out of mine about once every 3 seconds.

 

The only headphone I have found that fit are the ones supplied with iPods and iPhones. They fit my ears really nicely (if worn left one in right ear and right one in left ear) but the sound quality, whilst acceptable, isn't great and they deteriorate remarkably quickly. This style seems to have gone right out of fashion, but is the only thing I can use day to day.

 

BAH! Such a tortured existence I lead!*

 

*other more tortured existences are available. Please contact your local DPRK or Syrian embassy for more details.

[retrogeezer]

You could try some of these Phil, very good reviews and if you wear them correctly as shown in the pics (cable going over your ear and down the back) they seem to fit well. I struggle with the small earbud type but these are great. They were a bit cheaper a couple of weeks ago mind:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007 ... UTF8&psc=1

[Lankytim]

Yes I have been stood up. THANKS.

[retrogeezer]

what a w4nker...

[Lankytim]

Should I swear vengance?

[retrogeezer]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IVQ-UP8yyY

[Cavcraft]

Should I swear vengance?

 

Yes. One million percent YES.

 

Minor grump from me: Won the listing for a bike, had all bloody afternoon to collect it and no word yet from the seller. Obv. he may be out but it means arsing about in the week now.

[Lankytim]

Funny, he doesn't look like a 16 yr old wastrel.

 

 

He's obviously a VERY FUNNY GUY though*

[shedvan]

Small petty grump this but:

 

THE WORD IS BUSH OR BUSHES YOU SOFT-SHELLED MORON!!

 

Not 'bushings' this is not Carry On Abroad and you are not Peter Butterworth

[mattblack]

Had the today all planned out... take my mum shopping this morning, fit the new fuel tank on the Cortina this afternoon.

 

Got back to mum's house from the supermarket, she says "have you got the keys?"

"No, I locked the door and gave it back to you"

Drive back to supermarket, I said I would go back in and ask if anyone has handed them in as she has a dodgy knee.

"They're on the XXX keyring, aren't they"?

"yes"

Go to customer service desk, there is a set of keys, but not on an XXX keyring.

"No, it's not them" I say

Drive back to her house, trying to think of a way to get in. She tells me my sister has a spare key. She lives/works about 20 miles away. I ring her, yes she has the spare key with her at work.

Drive over there, get the key, drive back.

Get into house.

Mum says, "I'll sort out the spare keys" and produces them... on an XXX keyring.

"I thought you said the ones you lost were on an XXX keyring?"

"Oh no, they were on a XYZ keyring"

You've guessed it, THEY WERE THE ONES AT THE BLOODY SUPERMARKET!!!

 

Got home about 2.50, started on the Cortina tank swap. Realised that I only had one petrol can at home, other 2 are in the lock up. Realised that I would be faffing about all day trying to empty the tank with my little syphon pump after I'd got 5 litres out, decide there wasn't much fuel in it anyway so I would pour it into my 20 litre jerrycan when I got the tank off. Jack up car, get it on stands. Disconect pipe from sender, pipe on sender unit twists and comes loose in sender body. wire brush/WD40 threads on strap hangers, they both snap off anyway when I try to undo them. It starts to rain. Get tank off, take sender unit out to see what's going on with pipe. Still loads of petrol in tank, start to pour it out of filler neck into jerrycan. Pour fuel over floor/leg.

 

So I was wet, stinking of petrol, the Cortina is up on stands with no fuel tank in and I need to get a new sender unit now.

 

BUMCAKES.

[warren t claim]

The Claim family run a small property development company renting homes out in the local area, not a very big concern with about a dozen properties. We're certainly not slumlords and definitely not Nicky Van Hoogstraaten, we just rent out family homes to decent people on a long let. I don't normally take a big interest in the business as cars are my thing but I was recently asked to help remove an 18 year old tenant placed in a 3 bedroom house by a care company. We had recieved a few complaints and the gas safety man had told us to head over as a matter of prime importance. This is what I found, now please bear in mind that this was that particular properties first let and had been gutted and decorated from top to bottom only 18 months previously.

Living room

Hall

Stairs

Landing

Bedroom

Bedroom

Outside featuring makeshift "gazebo" heated by detatching a piece of drainpipe and attatching it to the central heating boiler exhaust!!!

Now this picture I found is somewhat disturbing, it's a photograph of several children that he's used as a dartboard, if you look closely you'll see various points awarded to hitting each child.

This bag of mysterious white powder might have something to do with his mental state.

It's unheard of for me to have to go in and do a "hard" eviction, normally I'd choose to go in through the back door as it's generally easier to secure afterwards, not in this case though as he'd thoughtfully put through the door himself...

Today I've had to rent a trailer and spend the day clearing the place out. The estimate for putting good the damage stands at £4000 and counting.

[ruffgeezer]

Still, at least you didn't happen upon his hoards of milk bottles full of shit...

 

...yet.

 

 

Today's grump is due to the useless breakers around here, I want a few bits for my van, they insist on removing them themselves, only they haven't, it's been over 3 weeks now.

 

Does anyone on here have a decent (cheap) scrappy nearby with a Dispatch/Scudo/Expert van in it?

[Lacquer Peel]

What do you need? I know of one with a phase 1 Dispatch in it.