The totally off-topic thread

[Bindibuys]

Agree, but at 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg) net weight, that's quite a lot off your HLO weight limit.

I've given up on roll-ons and gone to a soft-pack that has a shoulder strap, but with enclosed back-pack straps if I really need to lug it a long way. I've decided the advantages outweigh any disadvantages.

So have I, LOVE my "Skedaddle" by Black Wolf carry on.

 

[QF WP]

Initially I had quite a different thought about what she was up to

My initial thought as I struggled to consciousness was that it was her ex attacking her . Raising the blinds dispelled my fear.

She parks her car in the driveway, so plenty of room in the double garage (she has her ex's car in there, registered but not driven - don't ask, loooong story).

 

[Pushka]

Does the Council allow her to conduct a business in her home? Well, outside it in the front garden? They can be pretty strict about noise interference for "business reasons". The only people they want making making in "their council" are themselves or those whom they can slug commercial rates.

Can you tell I don't like Councils?

 

[QF WP]

Unfortunately it was her being trained, rather than her training somebody - so no Council involvement.

Have heard from another neighbour who was also woken to the noise - the wife of the pilot.

"Jacqui" is not making friends this morning...

She had finished her PT session when I returned

 

[Pushka]

Hopefully it's now a once off then.

 

[Buzzard]

Sorry for the following rant.

We have a neighbour who rents the house across the road - a nice single mother with 3 kids who is in the fitness industry. We live in suburbia. We've had good interactions...until this morning

At 5:15 my wife and I are woken up by the thud of leather on leather and voices (one mainly, a male).

I get up to find she's out the front yard having a personal training session. Her boxing woke us up - thankfully not the kids; but I'm not sure who else they've woken. What a way to endear thyself to ones neighbours.

Now as I said to her, as I commenced my dog walking an hour early, "I understand that you are a single mother and can't leave the house (because she has the kids this week and they're inside asleep) but why not do it in your garage? Common sense *Jacqui*, commonsense" as I walk away, gesticulating and shaking my head
*not her real name

She's lucky it was me and not my wife. Still on my walk and will be interesting to see her reaction when I return.

Lucky you don't live at my address QF WP where we constantly suffer from sleep deprivation caused by our neighbours dog constantly barking outside our bedroom window virtually every night, sometimes well after midnight - try 3 or 4 am!
This has been going on now for many years.

 

[Flashback]

Initially I had quite a different thought about what she was up to

Not the only one ... :shock:

 

[QF WP]

Lucky you don't live at my address QF WP where we constantly suffer from sleep deprivation caused by our neighbours dog constantly barking outside our bedroom window virtually every night, sometimes well after midnight - try 3 or 4 am!
This has been going on now for many years.

I'll take a once off and an apology, I'm a fairly easy going guy. We'll probably have a laugh over a wine about it.

That puts mine into perspective. I'd have reported to the Council by now. Lucky you don't live next to Pushka

 

[erkpod]

The media led blamestorming continues after the Phil Hughes incident. The SMH is slamming the response times of the paramedics & the NSW Ambulance Service.

http://m.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/n...ip-hughes-response-times-20141126-11upwv.html

Last night, I had to wait 15 minutes at a major train station for police as I was trying to prevent an intoxicated woman from jumping onto the track - our emergency services are overworked & under resourced. It shouldn't take a serious injury of a cricketer for the powers that be to realise that.

 

[Princess Fiona]

The media led blamestorming continues after the Phil Hughes incident. The SMH is slamming the response times of the paramedics & the NSW Ambulance Service.

http://m.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/n...ip-hughes-response-times-20141126-11upwv.html

Last night, I had to wait 15 minutes at a major train station for police as I was trying to prevent an intoxicated woman from jumping onto the track - our emergency services are overworked & under resourced. It shouldn't take a serious injury of a cricketer for the powers that be to realise that.

I must admit I had harboured a similar thought reading the initial reports. Not so much the initial response time but the helicopter dispatch and a few other things. It should take less than 10 minutes to get to St Vincent's from the SCG.

I doubt any of this speculation is helpful to anyone other than Fairfax trying to sell newspapers though.

 

[Buzzard]

I'll take a once off and an apology, I'm a fairly easy going guy. We'll probably have a laugh over a wine about it.

That puts mine into perspective. I'd have reported to the Council by now. Lucky you don't live next to Pushka

We have been through all the council stuff, I even made a submission that I was prepared to fund by 50% but the council didn't even want to discuss it with me.

To cut a long (over many years) story short, the council eventually told me to take civil action as there is no more that they can do.

 

[stoneman]

Badgerboi... your avatar drives me crazy

(I'm sure you are a very lovely person and everything... just saying...)

Me too!
If I had a FF point for every time I've shooshed the insect off my screen, I'd have my dream F suite !!!!

 

[medhead]

I must admit I had harboured a similar thought reading the initial reports. Not so much the initial response time but the helicopter dispatch and a few other things. It should take less than 10 minutes to get to St Vincent's from the SCG.

I doubt any of this speculation is helpful to anyone other than Fairfax trying to sell newspapers though.

If an ambulance is available. Add on the average 7.5 minutes for arrival from dispatch reported in the story. Plus the story states the ambulance was dispatched from POW, which is a little bit further away. But the story says the ambulance arrived 15 minutes and 23 minutes after the initial call. I'd assumed the helicopter had to have been in the air already.

 

[RAM]

I think there are a few of us around drron's age. One of my daughters calls me the old boy sometimes.

Is that your recently 'disinherited daughter'?

 

[erkpod]

Looks like my new work uniform will be ready for me to pick up on Sunday.

A short timeline:

July 2013 - New company starts. Station staff in new uniform.

Januaryish 2014 - train crew start being fitted for uniform. I'm on extended long service leave.

March 2014 - Fitted for the top half of my uniform. Unable to fit into the sample bottom half, need to be measured at another time.

May 2014 - Fitted for bottom half of uniform.

July 2014 - I return from leave, start to see crew in the new uniform.

November 2014 - Deadline of December 1 announced for people to be in the new uniform. I'm still waiting.

30 November (estimated) - New uniform received. Of course I'll have to make sure it fits & is washed. Others have reported needing 2 - 15 washes to remove skin irriations from the material.

The way QF did their uniform changeover was much better - they made sure people had the uniform & then gave a set date to change over. That said, QF is QF so there's no rebranding. I've been wearing the old brand since July 2013.

 

[JohnK]

Initially I had quite a different thought about what she was up to

Your imagination is much more active than mine.

 

[penegal]

Many years ago I learnt the importance of having a spare "emergency" shirt / wardrobe, pre-ironed and hanging up in the office (or a hotel nearby). Today, I had to make use of that spare shirt.

I went to a charity morning tea, and ended up wearing a scone (complete with jam and whipped cream). It was pretty embarrassing, but I don't think too many people noticed before I made a strategic withdraw to change into my spare "emergency" shirt, before returning to carefully eat more scones.



For those wondering, the scones were excellent but strawberry jam doesn't look good on a light coloured shirt.

 

[RAM]

The media led blamestorming continues after the Phil Hughes incident. The SMH is slamming the response times of the paramedics & the NSW Ambulance Service.

NSW Ambulance under fire over Phillip Hughes response times | smh.com.au

Last night, I had to wait 15 minutes at a major train station for police as I was trying to prevent an intoxicated woman from jumping onto the track - our emergency services are overworked & under resourced. It shouldn't take a serious injury of a cricketer for the powers that be to realise that.

Having done that drive frequently (going to PT meetings for daughter's school) driving time without sirens from SCG to StV is under 4 minutes. Google disagrees though putting it a 5 to 7 minutes for the under 2km.



It takes media to respond to either a horror story (Emergency services treat five calls as hoax by dying man) or 'high profile" case. For example - most people don't know that fire stations are regularly shut, totally vacant with the truck there but no firemen. As a 'cost cutting' enhancement (sound familiar?) the bureaucrats got rid of a number of the relieving positions and cut 'over-time'.

The twist: a firey MUST take sick leave if they have:
# Stitches
# Anything broken/fractured (even a toe)
# Cold or flu (issue with breathing apparatus/exertion in fire)

They have no choice - so it shows up as lots of sick leave. When change of Gov in NSW one area targeted was sick leave by public service but one-size-fits-all approach went rogue. Even worse with this requirement Fireys were not in top 5 State Govt Depts for sick leave per FT equivalent (says a lot).

So when the reduced number of relievers are used up then a station is shut. The relievers, just a handful, cover ALL of metro Sydney.

Why relevant to AFF? 3 of the 4 stations down as first responders to Syd Airport have all been 'tolled off' at the same time. Media - no interest. Police did not know and neither did ambos. Equally neither (officially) do developers/councils/State Govt Dept of planning & Infrastructure (DoPI by name and by nature).

Why the last few you ask? Because fire safety requirements for high rise are based on maximum response times for fire services.

Surprise move last week. State Gov announces stopping 'tolling'. Coincidence - Fire employees union had built up a sizeable fund from voluntary donations for full page adverts in Local Papers, SMH. Tele for the State Election campaign.

What odds the tolling beings again post March 2015?

 

[RAM]

Looks like my new work uniform will be ready for me to pick up on Sunday.

A short timeline:

July 2013 - New company starts. Station staff in new uniform.

Januaryish 2014 - train crew start being fitted for uniform. I'm on extended long service leave.

March 2014 - Fitted for the top half of my uniform. Unable to fit into the sample bottom half, need to be measured at another time.

May 2014 - Fitted for bottom half of uniform.

July 2014 - I return from leave, start to see crew in the new uniform.

November 2014 - Deadline of December 1 announced for people to be in the new uniform. I'm still waiting.

30 November (estimated) - New uniform received. Of course I'll have to make sure it fits & is washed. Others have reported needing 2 - 15 washes to remove skin irriations from the material.

The way QF did their uniform changeover was much better - they made sure people had the uniform & then gave a set date to change over. That said, QF is QF so there's no rebranding. I've been wearing the old brand since July 2013.

The bureaucrats can only plaigarise names not routines - TfNSW taken from "Transport for London", TfL. Their uniform changes went like clockwork, bit like the money they're spending on signalling to get 36 trains per hour on virtually all routes in peak times.

 

[RAM]

If an ambulance is available. Add on the average 7.5 minutes for arrival from dispatch reported in the story. Plus the story states the ambulance was dispatched from POW, which is a little bit further away. But the story says the ambulance arrived 15 minutes and 23 minutes after the initial call. I'd assumed the helicopter had to have been in the air already.

At the time of day it occurred, the PoW ambo would have right turned onto Barker St, left onto Botany St then straight through to Alison Rd, (if using local knowledge) then Alison to Darley, through Centennial Park and out the horse gates, along Lang Rd right into Driver Avenue. That's part of my 'school route for meetings'



Times definitely not 'lights and siren' times.