Ahh Bliss

As my week of nights finally draws to an end, I've checked my calender to find out when my next set of nights begin.

Joy of joys, my next set of nights start on October 14th a whole 12 weeks away.

This week has been a week of fun and disturbances, through lack of sleep, peaceful contractor free nights and feelings of shear exhaustion.

I've slept badly practically every day of the week, today being the only day I spent a whole eight ours under the sheets.

The high point of the week was going to my better half's on Sunday and enjoying a nice BBQ before coming to work.
The low point of the week was being disturbed so often in on Thursday that I might as well have stayed up all day anyway.

At least I have a nice couple of days off to look forward too.

URGH!!!

After I closed up the station and before my contractors all booked on, I quickly popped over to the shop to get my usual pint of milk which i always drink on nights.

However tonight I fancied something to eat as well, so I bought myself a Muller Light Sticky Toffee Pudding yoghurt.

I opened up the yoghurt and was greeted with a sight that looked more like a bowl of cold sick rather then yoghurt.

It still tasted nice though.

A Letter Of Complaint

Unfortunately because of service disruptions on Midland Mainline and because of the general lack of information given out by the staff at my local station and the attitude, I have written a complaint to Midland Mainline. I don't normally complain about things like this, but all it took was one person to piss me off.

To whom it may concern.

I'm concerned about the definite lack of information given by the male member of staff at Wellingborough station this evening.

I arrived at 21:03 to catch the 21:06 service to London, by 21:13 I had walked back across to the ticket office and asked about the train service, only to be told all the 06 services have been cancelled from Derby.

Also the attitude of your member of staff was less then customer friendly with an "I don't really care attitude"

Not once was there a PA to inform customers of this nor was there any information displayed concerning the disruptions.

I then sat and waited for the 21:45 service which arrived at 22:08 with a PA of the slightly delayed 21:45 service.
Not once did I hear a PA about the cancelled 21:06 service.
The only PA I did hear prior to my trains arrival was for the northbound 21:21 which arrived at 21:55, this PA was made at 21:43.

To make matters worse a non stopping service passed the station and looked almost empty.
When there are severe service disruptions why do Midland Mainline always forget about the customers and try to keep to the timetables to maintain the head ways.

Do Midland Mainline even care about customers or just running to a timetable that is based on a the running of the old Turbostar services with dwell times incorporated, hopefully the service under Stagecoach will be better.

I Don't Believe It

Yesterday I had a really bad day trying to sleep, what with one thing and another.

Firstly dozing off on the sofa and being woken by a twitter text, then going to bed and being woken by my new neighbours dog barking, after that I woke up sweating after a horrific dream about my son had being snatched, I was then woken up by my the new neighbours grand kids running up and down the stairs of there house, then I was woken by the adults with learning difficulties making screaming and grunting noises, then a car parping its horn about five times outside my house.

I finally gave up and stayed awake from 3:30 onwards.

Guess what, today I hit the sack around 11am only for the council to start digging up the road out side my house.

So sleep is fucked once more.

Engineering Update or I Almost Did Some Work Today part ii

The Line Controller just gave me an update on how the problem at Kings Cross was fixed.

Apparently it wasn't a track problem but a signalling problem, when asked how the contractor had fixed the problem.

"I belted the relay with the hammer and when all the lights came on so I got the staff off track as quick as possible"

Help!!!!!

I Almost Did Some Work Today.

There is a saying on LUL about Station Supervisors, "we are paid for what we know, not what we do"

Today I almost had to put my knowledge into practice.

As I walked around the station doing my pre-opening checks, the Line Controller rang me and with these words.

"I may have something for you blog about" now that's not what I expected to hear but he carried on.

"As we have a late finish to engineering works at Kings Cross I might have to open up the section switches just east of my station". Oh dear.

*Section switches isolate parts of the track and break it down into smaller sections*.

Apparently the contractors were working in the Kings Cross area and took the track apart and hadn't put it back together again. So who do we blame now Metromess or Red Ken.

Five minutes later I had the confirmation call, Yes I will be opening the section switches and yes a Duty Manager Trains (DMT) is on the way to assist and could i get my equipment ready for use.

The DMT duly arrived and didn't even want a cuppa tea (now that was a shock in itself) all we waited for was confirmation that we could go onto the track and open the switches.

We waited and waited and then the call arrived.

"Don't worry the line clear has been given and traction current will be switched on shortly".

Bloody Line Controllers spoil all my fun.

First Night Back

And what a struggle.

The shift has been pretty uneventful, the only disturbance was the excess of night cleaners who ran a bit tight when it came to opening the station.

The rest of the shift I spent fighting sleep, listening to music and just messing about on the pc trying to stay awake.

Oh well only an hour left to go, then I'm off home to bed before coming back in again tonight.

So one down and six left.

Tattoos Both Old And New

I've mentioned about my tattoos and piercings in the past, well as I have just had a new tattoo started, I though I would post a couple of pictures to give you a view of the old and the new.
Excuse the red mark, the freckles and the love handles (I told you i wasn't a small person), this was taken today after a two hour sitting of the incomplete tattoo below.
This tattoo is two hours into a three and and a half hours sitting. It wont get it finished until September. In case you are wondering about the dates, they are my Dads and Mums year of birth.

It's All Gone Tits Up

So Metromess are now in administration, so what does this mean.

Well basically both the Infracos (BCV & SSL) have gone into administration,. They are still operating and will continue to maintain the trains, stations and infrastructures.

So business as usual.

Why does it seem that all the staff and the general public knew PPP wouldn't work yet it was still forced through by Mr Blair and his cronies

It's Bloody Hot

I walked into work this morning and "whoosh" a blast of air hit me in the face as i opened the office door.

One of the air conditioning units in the SS office has died a death and the other is blowing out luke warm air.

So at the moment the temp in my office is just sitting at 29 degrees C.

I feel hot, clammy and decidedly uncomfortable, and the best bit is that the fault that was placed on Saturday hadn't even been chased up.

I've Reached The Big 4 0

That's right, I finally made my 40th and some how I'm still alive.

What with giving my dear old mum no amounts of worry through out the course of my life.

Firstly being born with Spina Bifida Occulta, then within five weeks of being born having major operation for Pyloric Stenosis.

Three years later I was back in hospital after having my head split open with a brick to the back of the head, and visited my mum who was in the same hospital having her gall stones removed.

A year later almost having my hand broken by my Uncle when he slammed the door of a Ford Transit van closed with my hand still on the frame of the door.

About the age of five whilst messing about on a stool in the kitchen (which my mum did tell me repeatedly to get down off and didn't), she swung me off the stool face first into the corner a kitchen work surface, splitting my lip and causing me to visit the hospital once more and fight four doctors and getting a slap for my worries from one of the Docs as I wouldn't stay still, you try laying on your back when a stranger is trying to insert a huge needle into an already split lip.

About the age of seven I was messing about over near the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, when I fell between a load of railway sleepers and almost snapped my left ankle, this time I ended up having physiotherapy, which like any good seven year old I didn't do.

By nine my dearly loving brother decided to drop a bike wheel on my face, mind you he was always loving especially when threw a dart at one of my sisters, which stuck in her shoulder and he told her he wouldn't pull it out if she told our mum.

At ten, as I annoyed my sister so much, she dragged me up the stairs feet first and threw me onto my bed, then prompt belted me on the back with the sharp prongs of a steel Denmen hair brush, drawing blood in a nice little pattern.

At 12 I was almost beaten to a pulp by my eldest sister whilst I was practicing a Karate move on her when she wasn't expecting it, unfortunately I made contact with her ribs, and after screaming the house down, running up and down the stairs, she decided to set about her little brother with a vengeance, and if it wasn't for mum I think I would have been a bloody mess sitting in the corner.

By 13, I was in hospital again, this time to have my Appendix removed, and like any good little soldier I got it infected and ended up having a 14" swab stuck into my side to check to take a sample, with one of my sisters watching in awe as this swab vanished into the wound. I was also unfortunate enough to be in a ward of Dallas fans so I saw JR get shot.

Two years later and I'm back in hospital this time only for a flying visit to the A&E to have some stitches in a wound to my right knee cap after splitting the skin on the crest of a wall and being able to see right down to the body fat, the nurse called me a blood thirsty bugger as I lay watching her put three stitches into my knee with out fainting.

At 23 I was in A&E again, this time with a massive muscle spasm in my lower back, as I was doing leg presses at a gym, I had 80kg on each leg when my back pinged and all the weight crashed down onto me.

At 25 I had my first (and so far only) immediate family bereavement when my dad passed away, unfortunately my dad had been ill for a while, and due to this my mum had removed his false teeth, but when the nurses had laid him out, my mum had placed his teeth back in his mouth, so when my sister and me went into his room, the first thing we saw was my dad flat on his back grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Later that year I started dating my future wife and looking after her daughter who was four months old at the time and who I've always thought of as my own.

At 26 I visited A&E once more, this time after a forklift truck had ridden up the back of my calf, ripping all the ligaments in my left ankle. So a nice six weeks paid off work.

By 27 I had had my first child, married at 29, my second child came along when I was 31 and divorced by 37. that covered those ten years quite nicely.

And for the past few years you have been reading my almost daily life on here.

And sometimes I wonder why I am the way I am and how the hell I lived. I'm looking forward to the next 40 years of fun.

A Long Week Without A Post

Two reasons for this.

Reason one, I wanted to leave the anniversary post up as long as possible with out anything to distract from the actual post.

Reason two, nothing has happened, apart from me being off sick over the weekend with a major migraine and only working Wednesday so far this week.

Tomorrow I have a couple of trainees (victims) supervisors with me, so this might help the day go quick before I finish once more for the weekend, as I'm off to celebrate my birthday on Sunday.

07/07/07

Two years on and our thoughts are still with the 52 victims of the 7th July 2005.

KINGS CROSS

James Adams
Samantha Badham
Philip Beer
Anna Brandt
Ciaran Cassidy
Rachelle ChungFor Yuen
Elizabeth Daplyn
Arthur Frederick
Karolina Gluck
Gamze Gunoral
Lee Harris
Ojara Ikeagwu
Emily Jenkins
Adrian Johnson

Helen Jones
Susan Levy
Shelley Mather
Michael Matsushita
James Mayes
Behnaz Mozakka
Mihaela Otto

Atique Sharifi
Ihab Slimane
Christian Small
Monika Suchocka
Mala Trivedi


TAVISTOCK SQUARE

AnthonyFatayi-Williams
Jamie Gordon
Giles Hart
Marie Hartley
Miriam Hyman
Shahara Islam
Neetu Jain

Sam Ly
Shyanuja Parathasangary
Anat Rosenberg
Philip Russell
William Wise
Gladys Wundowa

ALDGATE

Lee Baisden
Benedetta Ciaccia
Richard Ellery
Richard Gray
Anne Moffat
Fiona Stevenson
Carrie Taylor



EDGWARE ROAD

Michael Brewster
Jonathan Downey
David Foulkes
Colin Morley
Jennifer Nicholson
Laura Webb

The LONG Journey Home

As there was a power failure in the West Hampstead area, I asked my manager if I could leave early so I had some chance of getting home.

I left work at 17:50 and walked the few minutes to Warren Street, I jumped on to a train to Edgware on the Northern Line, once at Edgware I decided to walk from there to Mill Hill Broadway as the First Capital Connect service was starting northbound to Bedford, 25 minutes later I arrived at Mill Hill, where a wait of 10 minutes commenced, as I finally boarded a train towards Bedford it was past 19:15, the train then traveled all stops to Bedford finally arriving at 20:35.

As I crossed the platform to get my next train home, my first bit of luck arrived and my train home pulled immediately into the station.

I finally arrived at Wellingborough at 20:55 and after a 15 minute walk, I arrived home to my first coffee in over 3 hours.

Absolutley Brilliant

I just received a email from my lord and master (GSM) about the proposed ticket office closures for my group which are being implemented next year.

Mon-Fri: No Change.

Sat: Will open at 09:00 (normally 08:30) and close at 15:30 (normally closes at 19:30).

Sun: Closed all day (Normally open between 09:00 and 18:00).

The station next door also has closures.

Mon-Fri: No Change.

Sat: Will close at 18:00 (normally closes 19:00).

Sun: Closed all day (normally open between 13:30 and 22:30).

So if you use the underground, help keep the ticket offices open and use the ticket office windows instead of the machines and tell your friends and colleagues to do the same, I know it might be easier to use the machines but once they close the ticket offices, they probably wont reopen them.

I'm F**king Angry

Yesterday I spoke to my ex wife and told her that my middle daughter and son told me that her partner had slapped them both, I told her he is not to touch my kids ever, he can discipline them, but he can't slap them and that goes for all three.

I spoke to my youngest daughter today to make sure she was ok, as I know how spiteful my ex can be, I was told that my kids are not allowed to tell me anything that happens in their house from now on, and if she does tell me anything my ex will smash up her mobile phone, now thats what I call intelligent mothering.

On a better note, my eldest apologized for what she said to me on the train home, but it does get me thinking what the hell is going on at that house.

A Bolt From The Blue

I had my weekend off and it started off like a flyer, once more I went into the bowels of Essex to collect my kids, and this time I had all three of them.

As I made my way back home I had arranged to meet up with the better half in London around 5:30pm and carry on home to my house, however the better half's tickets were only valid for travel 7:30 onwards, after speaking with a revenue inspector I know, he let the better half slip aboard the 6pm train, phew.

Once home, it was the usual Friday night treat of fish and chips, a late night and then peace again as the kids went to bed around 10:30.

Saturday came around and went smoothly and the kids enjoyed themselves, once more the boy was on the PlayStation, the two girls shared the PC and the television whilst myself and the better half just relaxed.

Sunday once more saw us off to Southend and the better half off to her place, however the only problem with the whole weekend struck on the way home.

As the train was crowded, we all had to sit at different tables, I made sure my kids had seats first before I found two for me and the better half, my son being his usual self was being very boisterous and loud, and my eldest kept shouting at him, so like any decent person I got up and told them all to be quiet, but my kids being my kids just got loud again, this time I told my eldest off first and was told the immortal words "You're not my dad".

Now to say I was stunned was a bit of an understatement, as i sat back down my better half could tell something was wrong and once I told her she was a bit shocked too, but did say that kids do say hurtful things, which I guess is true.

So all in all a bad ending to an otherwise great weekend.