Looking Forward To Going Back To Work For A Rest

That might look like a strange title but believe it or not I'm looking forward to going back to work on Sunday night, why because I need a rest.

As you might know, I'm currently on leave, however due to the sort of person I am, I don't mind putting myself out for friends, no matter what the situation, I guess it's just down to my gentle nature.

People who really know me will know this about me and this is one thing that really pisses off my ex partner as she will admit to being a very selfish person.

So this week I've been helping friends move, however the past two days have been just shear exhausting, I was supposed to have a peaceful rest yesterday but had a call from my mate who I was supposed to be helping today. He has asked me to driver a Luton van to help him move, as he doesn't have the confidence to drive it himself.

So last night after starting to help my friend move some stuff to another friends, I finally arrived home around 10pm.

This morning I was up once more and filling the Luton van to the rafters, but unfortunately due to the people slacking in there new house we had to wait almost to hours before we could unload.

So finally most of there stuff is into the new house and I must admit, it is a lovely house, however the last owners left some broken stuff for my friends to deal with (wankers).

I finally headed home at 10:30 and after soaking in a baking hot bath I noticed I have so many lumps, bumps, scrapes and bruises that I look like a self harmer.

At least tomorrow night I can relax and will be in a drunken state somewhere in Northampton.

Training Regime

I was browsing through the net tonight when I found this web site.

So now I know what sort of training to put in to get me ready for the challenge. I think I should be able to manage this.

That Moving Feeling.

Yesterday I helped a friend move home and at least her husband knew and even helped deliver some of her furniture to her new place so i spent the afternoon lugging furniture all around Northampton, I finally reached home around 10pm last night.

However, I've only just arrived home after being out since 8am this morning, the reason for this is, I've been helping another friend move from Milton Keynes to Northampton.

One thing about helping my friend that I'm not to impressed about, apart from seeing Milton Keynes three times in one day that is, my friend has left his other half and didn't tell her.
So as far as I was concerned his ex knew about him leaving her as he told me he told her but today I found she didn't know anything until he rang her at her work after we had made the final trip.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to having a lie in because believe it or not, I'm helping a work mate move home, and the best thing is he has asked me to drive a seven and a half ton truck.
I asked him why he wouldn't do it and his nice reply was "I don't mind driving a 100 ton train but I'm scared stiff of driving a bloody great truck.

I'm looking forward to going back to work on Sunday to get some rest.

Oh S**T

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I might be doing the Three Peak Challenge, well as I sat at home tonight I started wondering what sort of weight I should aim for to get fitter in case I'm picked by my GSM to go on the hike.

So onto google I went and searched for the old height to weight ratio and according to the search I found, I should be anything from 12.5 stone to 14.7 stone.

So starting tomorrow I'm putting myself back on my diet and aim to loose around 4 stone, 56lbs or 25kg.

I've lost weight before but this time I'm not doing it for myself but also for a serious cause.

Week One Of My Leave

As you can tell from the title I'm currently on weeks seven and eight of my 10 weeks worth of Underground leave, and before you think 10 weeks leave how do we get so much, it's easy.

Basically to get so much leave all LUL station staff apart from the part time staff get 10 weeks who get less. Station staff work a 37.5 hour week but we only get paid for 35 hours, hence the extra 2.5 hours a week are added on as leave days, by the way I'm not including DSM's and GSM's in that equation as they have there own set of rules.

So back to my leave:

After work: I started my leave off well, I went straight from work and into a hotel and then off to a mates 40th for an excess of alcohol that I truly regreted the next day.

Sunday: After waking up with a mouth that felt like I'd been licking the inside of a used jock strap, I made my way home feeling decidely ill and bog headed. As I recovered throughout the course of the day I just chilled out and tried to stay as still as possible.

Monday: A friend was supposed to move in with me with her kids as she has separated from her husband, so after a bit (notice I said bit and not a lot) tidying up I relaxed and waited, then I had a call saying that she can't move in now as her ex didn't want her to. Unfortunately she listened to him and moved into another friends place instead and has spent the week in a one bed roomed flat.

Tuesday: I was up early and went over to a ex's in Stevenage and had a nice spot of lunch, I'm always left feeling why do I keep going back, I know I still want a relationship with her but she doesn't she "just wants friends". Typical.

Wednesday: I didn't do much but play on my PS3 and laugh at the ridiculous National team called "ENGLAND".

Thursday: Did nothing but mess on my new lap top and then played on the PS3.

Friday: Once more played with the lap top but in the evening I went over to Northampton and enjoyed a pleasant evening of nice conversation and a few beers.

Saturday: I spent most of the day helping my friend from Monday moving stuff out of her house and putting it in storage, last night though I went out for a few beers and a curry with some of my fellow passengers who travel down to London on the first train.

One thing that came out of last night. It looks like this will be a 6 week thing from now on.

Oh well, next week is already planned out so a busy week to look forward to, with three of those days helping three different friends move home.

England Are Out

So everyone is going to be upset that England are out of next years Euro 2008, to tell you the truth I'm glad that England are out, as this means that London Underground staff will have less hassle next summer from drunken football fans, meaning we wont have to put up with the mindless drunks when England eventually go out.

This also means we wont have to put up with all the HYPE about a decidely average national team, no John Motson singing the praises and building up the country only to fail once more

The only thing I feel sorry about is that there wont be a national team from any of the United Kingdom countries.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

It's bad enough walking around the shopping centers with the ole Christmas Carole's and songs playing continuously, however today I went out for a nice spot of lunch with a friend, when I arrived at her house I was greeted with this.

I couldn't believe it and I was shocked and stunned, after checking my watch to make sure I had the right month I looked bewildered at my friend and asked what was going on.

Her daughter put it up and she hasn't finished yet.

We then sat down to have a chat and a coffee and once more I think her daughter has gone a bit Christmas mad as I sat drinking out of a nice Christmas mug. Buy one get one free I was told.

I know it's just around the corner but Christmas trees and coffee cups already sheesh.

Bloody Hell

I had to pop out to a friends tonight to help set up his internet access, however I got a bit of a shock when I opened my front door to find my car covered in snow and me thinking where the hell has this come from (I know out of the sky).

A Different View

I was wandering through St Pancras after a late turn duty during the summer and as I travelled up the escalator I looked up and up and thought "fook me that's high"

I took this picture this from my mobile phone and show you a contrast between that and the stairs.

You Can't Make This Up

I was at work quietly minding my own business when the phone rang.

The Line Information Assistant called me and asked if I could check out a Circle line train with a Passenger Emergency Alarm (PEA) operated on my westbound platform.

I called up the gate line and asked one of the CSAs to attended the Train Op and find out what was wrong.

As I watched them on the CCTV, all I could see was a blank expression from both by CSAs and neither one moving.

After another bit of prompting from myself "Will one of you go down to the platform and find out whats wrong" off wanders one of my CSAs.

As my CSA arrives on the platform she asks me what she has to do, I just sat in my office wondering what the hell had i just said to me CSAs when they were on the gate line.

So after explaining again for her to go to the driver and find out the information required IE: whats wrong, so that I can tell the Line Controller whats happening she finally wanders off to find the T/O.

Next thing I see the CSA wandering up the stairs and the train departing my platform.

Me "Base to CSA ********, what was wrong with the train"?

Her "Oh nothing"

Me "Thanks for letting me Know".

After speaking with the CSA in question she informed me that she has never heard of a PEA before and that it was the first time she had dealt with one.

This explains the blank expressions then.

What sort of training are these new CSAs getting, obviously not platform operations.

Oh Bugger

What the hell have I gone and done.

I'll tell you what, my GSM sent out an invitation to do the Three Peaks Challenge and like the fool that I am, I accepted ARGH.

So basically sometime next year (date to be confirmed) I'm hoping to be out there traipsing over Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon all in the space of 24 hours all in the name of charity.

All I have to do now is lose about 2+ stone and get fitter, OK a lot fitter then I currently am.

Once I get some details I will start asking for sponsorship from my lovely readers.

New And Improved St Pancras

I spotted this on the way into work at the new station called St Pancras International.

All that hard work and a slight miss on a set of stairs and the whole new image is ruined.

Another thing I spotted yesterday was a very low branch on one of the new trees, the reason I spotted it was completely by accident, ok the accident was me walking into it and almost decapitating myself.

So if you use St Pancras international watch out for low branched trees.

I'm Not Saying He's Tight, But He Does Squeak

One of my colleagues has a bad reputation for being tight with the old fund providing.

I'm not saying he's miserly, thrifty or a having deep pockets and short arms, but here are a few examples of some of his money saving ideas.

His top 10 tips are.

1: Wait until Tesco and Sainsburys have the yellow and orange labels displayed for a cheaper bargain.
2: Ring the local council and complain that the street light outside your bedroom window has blown and that you can't read at night.
3: Use a teabag at least three times, and place the said teabag on a radiator between dunks to get the bag dry ready for next time.
4: Pay the lottery syndicate with 400 pennies, I know this is £4 but it saves room in the jar ready for the next 400 pennies.
5: Stay at work as long as possible as that saves using your own electricity, heating and water.
6: Wait until you go to Thailand and then get a hair cut, as it only costs 80p including tip instead of £6 excluding tip.
7: Spend other peoples money as it works out cheaper.
8: Eat as much as possible at at any of the corporate dos as the food is paid for by the company and if you over eat you don't have to eat until the next day.
9: Recycle your Christmas cards using Tip Ex and send out last years received ones out as your own.
1o: Give your parents a free Metropolitan Line Uxbridge Centenary and a Connect Project mug as a birthday presents as it saves on shoe wear when you go shopping.

How Helpful Am I

Ever since I've been banking with Abbey, I've had nothing but trouble.

However last week I rang the Halifax to try and open a new account, ever since then I've been told that my account is still pending, the one thing that I will praise about the Halifax staff is how helpful and co-operative they have been.

That was until now:

Once more I rang up to find out how my account is doing, the lady who answered the phone was anything but helpful.

Her "Do you have your reference number"
Me "No sorry I left it at home"
Her "Well I can't help you"
Me "Well the last lady I spoke to used my post code and found my details"
Her "Well shes not supposed to do that"
Me "Well everyone else who I've spoken to has done things that way"
Her "Can I have your post code please"

Post code and address details were then exchanged.

Her "It's still pending"
Me "I know and normally the person I'm speaking to calls through to the underwriters and asks"
Her "Well It's still pending"
Me "I know that, can you speak to the underwriters and ask them if I'm likely to get an account"
Her "But it's still pending"
Me "What do suggest I do then"
Her "Hold the line please"

ARGH, why does it only take one person to spoil a perfect record.

It's Beneath Me

It really pisses me off when certain reserve Supervisors have this attitude, one of the reserve supervisors on my group has this attitude, I wont call him a colleague as I don't feel he is a team player.

Take Sunday for instance, at a certain time the SS at my station cover the gateline to give a meal relief but because he didn't want to do it he closed the ticket office at my station. All he has done since is bitch and moan that he doesn't do the gateline as it's beneath him, an hour out of his shift and he wont do it, and whats worse because of him throwing his toys out of the pram and closing the ticket office, it's giving management more ammunition to close ticket offices at weekends.

I arrived at work on the Tuesday and he was still bitching about the gateline and the fact that he has to cover the gateline for three days instead of act as an SS, as he stated to me "I wont do it as it's six grades below me". Now this is where I decided to have a go back and promptly told him as a reserve you can cover any position you are licensed for as we are all licensed for gateline duties.

It doesn't bother me cover the gateline as that where I started off.

Yesterday I arrived at my station to find the Passenger Help Points handset switched off so nobody on the station could ask for any assistance or information, also one of the phones in the office was quite clearly broken, I spoke to my DSM about this (he was on the station at the time) and told him about the phone and nothing being done.

"Oh sorry about that" he replies "that was me"

So even my DSM's are causing me problems.

Funeral

Yesterday I was at the funeral of one of my favorite uncles, My uncle had been ill for a long time and thankfully (I know that sounds strange) he is finally at rest.

You may remember an item I wrote in August about my cousin who was almost killed in a road accident, it was my her father who passed away.

My cousin is doing a lot better and she was actually at the funeral and mobile, she does have some brain damage, but the fact that she is walking (although aided) and talking is close to a miracle.