The good morning, good night thread

[delboy]

It's both an ageing thing  and a technology thing. With me, there's a dog factor, too...

It definitely takes me longer to recover from anything these days  . Be that a wild night out with a tour-bus full of groupies, an after-gig party with Keith Richard and all of Motley Crue, or an early start to get to London for business meetings. Last night I was rehearsing with the band and this morning I ache. How can playing the guitar make you ache? I creak and groan first thing in the morning and have to hang onto the bannisters as I gingerly negotiate the stairs. Halfway across the kitchen my ankle joints start to work, and by the time I'm on my second coffee I'm starting to tick over like a good engine, not a diesel block with 200k on the clock and a frozen tank! Lord knows what it's going to be like when I hit 30...

Technologywise, everything comes at us quicker and from so many directions. In the old days it took a few days for a memo to get from one place to another even within the same building. Now it's instant. Bosses want everything now. Customers want everything now. New ideas aren't thought through they're just launched and if it they don't fly so what? Do this, do that, can I have those figures these percentages your Q4 plans and a review of Q3 and can I have it all before noon but first can you call this guy and ask him what he wants he left a message for me to call him and you'll probably get the task anyway and by the way can you cover for Joe as he's too busy to get anything done and don't forget the evidence for your performance review you know the bar has been raised so I'll be expecting more for less this year and I know you've been working 50 hours instead of 36 but please don't write 50 on your timesheet again as that makes the team look like we have poor time management and this period there may be resource challenges anyway so we want to be squeaky clean and I left you a message at 2.00 am last night but you didn't answer....

Outside of work there's simply so much information, so many things to do, so many people telling us you have to read this, watch that, go there, do this, listen to this...and we buy into it thinking we have to surf this wave or we'll be missing out or getting left behind.

I think the kids today are probably better prepared for all this multi-tasking. They seem able to text with one hand whilst surfing the web, watching TV, holding a phone call, and revising for exams all at the same time. I guess it bodes well for the future, although I fear and suspect I'm too old to change...

Then there's the dog who has finally learned how to climb stairs and decides that he's going to wake me at 6.00 every morning irrespective of what time I went to bed, what day of the week it is, and whether or not I need to get up or he needs to go out. Usually, after he's woken me and made sure that my joints are all functioning and my eyesight is clear he goes back to sleep. Bless him.

[Geoff_N]

At 64 I feel younger than I did 10 years ago. After research I have taken a multi vit and mineral tab every day along with vegan glucosamine for my knee, which no longer hurts if I keep taking the tablets.

Del, I found your author page on facebook but not your personal page. The author pages are okay for promo but not a lot of use for friends to write to you and share pics, music, vids, and chat. Your personal page might be there but there are dozens of Derek Rutherfords in the world and they are all there!

There's only one Geoff Nelder on fb though there is my author page as well as a personal one, which is easy to find and ask for friendship.

[Geoff_N]

Today was one of those rare occasions my wife actually looked at me. She said, "What's that on your cheek? Is it a growth?"
I checked. No, yesterday I cut myself shaving. In the past a small nick would bleed a little then heal up in a day or two. Now, I have fallen victim to the advertising hype of Gillette and I slash away with a multi-blade razor with a battery-energised vibration. Not only does my cut become three lacerations, but they are driven in deeper by the motor. I've been electric-knife attacked. Just as well I didn't fall for the 5-blade option.

[Ed]

Then there's the dog who has finally learned how to climb stairs and decides that he's going to wake me at 6.00 every morning irrespective of what time I went to bed, what day of the week it is, and whether or not I need to get up or he needs to go out. Usually, after he's woken me and made sure that my joints are all functioning and my eyesight is clear he goes back to sleep. Bless him.

I didn't have that in mind when I banned my dogs from upstairs, but after reading that I'm really glad I made the effort

Geoff -- that's progress for you. I never could see how a vibrating wet shave would work better than the time honoured sweep of a deft hand

[delboy]

Reading the Sunday papers and looking around chez Del it feels like everyone else has already broken up for Christmas.

Grump, grumble, groan. 

[Ed]

Yep -- my kids and wife broke up on Friday, so it felt very strange having to drag myself out of the house this morning. I was hoping to take two weeks off, but I've already been told I'm working on the 3rd of January -- not asked, or even told directly -- heard it through the grape vine

So I decided if I can't overshoot, I'll have a go at undershooting. I've told them all I'm finishing tomorrow night. Whether it'll stick is anybody's guess. I've already had one builder say, "You're alright for that second fix on Thursday and Friday, aren't you." Hell, no -- I'm not doing it. It can join the pile of other things I've already got waiting, loitering, leering at me from the starting blocks of next year.

[notsoscarey]

Two of my sisters are at odds so Christmas should be extra fun.  Going to visit Dad in the hospital then (hopefully) there will be no drama.  This all is excellent fodder for a short story but I would have to have a pen name.  Especially with this nugget:  "What would Jesus do?  He'd call you a f-ing thief!"  Oh, I love my family to bits!  LOL

[Ed]

Two of my sisters are at odds so Christmas should be extra fun.  Going to visit Dad in the hospital then (hopefully) there will be no drama.  This all is excellent fodder for a short story but I would have to have a pen name.  Especially with this nugget:  "What would Jesus do?  He'd call you a f-ing thief!"  Oh, I love my family to bits!  LOL

I subscribe to the point of view that if you're all 'carrying' there's unlikely to be a shootout. Just remember to duck if at any point during the festivities a car backfires

[Pharosian]

Got back home last night after spending a week cruising the Caribbean aboard the Carnival Victory. We had gorgeous weather the whole time and enjoyed waking up in a different port every day. I was thrilled when I found out there was wi-fi in every cabin until I learned that it cost anywhere from 33 to 75 cents per MINUTE to use it! The cheapest rate could only be had by buying 480 minutes for $159. In Barbados there was a place that offered free wi-fi, so I was able to check in here at CD and make a few posts, but for the most part I was offline for the week. It was nice not dealing with e-mail from work, though.

Today it was back to overcast skies and cold rainy weather. 

[marc_chagall]

Knew you had to be somewhere idyllic from those haiku 

[notsoscarey]

I subscribe to the point of view that if you're all 'carrying' there's unlikely to be a shootout. Just remember to duck if at any point during the festivities a car backfires

Ha!  Well, one of them does have a gun.  I totally forgot about that...oh boy!  Gets even better!  If you don't hear from me after the holidays, you might want to check the news.   

[fnord33]

I didn't have that in mind when I banned my dogs from upstairs, but after reading that I'm really glad I made the effort afro

My cats are the same way. If I let them in the bedroom they'll either wake me up with a bloody backrub, or all come lay on me and then get into a fight. It's kind of hard to get back to sleep after waking up with a tornado of claws and flying fur on your chest. That's one of the things I love about Cat's. They're so cute, but so evil.  

I usually bring a hand grenade to make Christmas go a bit smoother. Pull the pin when I walk in the door, threaten to drop it if anyone gets out of hand, eat fast, leave early, and get good and drunk as soon as possible. The last few years Christmas has been a bit easier as nobody wants to get together anymore.   That's extremely helpful this year, since my computer has gone haywire, my transmission imploded and I had to spend all my shopping time in Kentucky because my wife's uncle died. I have presents for 2 people so far, and all my spare time has to be spent shopping for a new car.      



Anybody know anything about Booksie.com? I've heard good things. A girl my wife used to work with was apparently discovered there. She's actually turned down publishers because they were too small. When my PC gets out of the shop I plan to post some stuff there.

[Geoff_N]

My grandson Oliver, 2 years 9 months, has learnt to sing Jingle Bells at nursery. I am soooo tempted to violate the prissy words with that old outrageous version with Batman smells. Howeve,r, would it spell doom for him at school or make him a hero? Decisions. Decisions.

[Ed]

Had a nice low-key, easy day today. Cooked a duck for dinner, with roast spuds, cabbage, carrots, buttery swede. Christmas pud for pud, with brandy flavoured cream. Yum

Bit of a snooze, watched a few nice films, and now it's time for bed. Mostly I enjoyed not having to be anywhere or do anything. It was a good day all round.

I hope you all had a great day, too

[Rev. Austin]

Hey folks, hope you're all enjoying the festive period and Father Christmas brought you all lovely gifts! I've had the Noro virus, right over Christmas itself. Great stuff! But I also received The Town by Bentley Little, which I have been after for years, and my housemate got me a signed copy of John Landis' Monsters in the Movies book! We've also handed in our notice today for our current flat, and are looking forward to moving into a proper three-bed semi with honest-to-goodness central heating in a month's time. Hurray!