Whinge
London Grinds to a Halt due to Snow
02/02/09 14:37
In over 100 years the London bus service has never
been cancelled. Now we have Boris as our Mayor the
buses can't even cope with snow. I don't completely
blame Boris (although frankly I could easily), but I
remember in 1991 when we had the last bad snow I got
a wonderful old 36 Routemaster bus back from where I
worked in Camberwell to New Cross Gate. Those were
the days. A Routemaster could easily navigate the
roads, and was much more robust compared to these
flimsy new vehicles - particularly the dreadful
"free" bendy-buses.
The Routemaster has made an appearance in the last few weeks though - one of ten designs on a lovely set of stamps from the Post Office. Sadly you never get to see them on mail now, but if you do visit a post office (and are in the UK) try to ask for the stamps. They also have the Underground Map, the Mini, Penguin Books, Concorde, the phone box etc. Wonderful! I shall be using them on mail at least.
It is rather lovely to have this amount of snow - the earlier estimate was 20cm, but I think it's rather more now - certainly in south east London. A bit of a nightmare getting in to work ... no buses (as outlined above) and a tube service that was pretty limited. The DLR was wonderful as ever, and at times like this the British actually speak to each other on their journey in. A joy. I'm very grateful to my DLR driver this morning, who drove us to Canary Wharf, was forced to go to Westferry, came back, then took us back towards Bank on another tube (he at least realised that as he had made it in he might as well do a double shift to make up for his colleagues who hadn't made it).
Enjoy the pictures of the snow. I may be forced to go out and take more later as there's still a steady fall. I recalled being much younger earlier when I saw the kids sledging down the hills in Greenwich Park this morning. Even they had been defeated about an hour ago (or the visibility was so bad I couldn't see them).
More blog soon ...
The Routemaster has made an appearance in the last few weeks though - one of ten designs on a lovely set of stamps from the Post Office. Sadly you never get to see them on mail now, but if you do visit a post office (and are in the UK) try to ask for the stamps. They also have the Underground Map, the Mini, Penguin Books, Concorde, the phone box etc. Wonderful! I shall be using them on mail at least.
It is rather lovely to have this amount of snow - the earlier estimate was 20cm, but I think it's rather more now - certainly in south east London. A bit of a nightmare getting in to work ... no buses (as outlined above) and a tube service that was pretty limited. The DLR was wonderful as ever, and at times like this the British actually speak to each other on their journey in. A joy. I'm very grateful to my DLR driver this morning, who drove us to Canary Wharf, was forced to go to Westferry, came back, then took us back towards Bank on another tube (he at least realised that as he had made it in he might as well do a double shift to make up for his colleagues who hadn't made it).
Enjoy the pictures of the snow. I may be forced to go out and take more later as there's still a steady fall. I recalled being much younger earlier when I saw the kids sledging down the hills in Greenwich Park this morning. Even they had been defeated about an hour ago (or the visibility was so bad I couldn't see them).
More blog soon ...
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Why I Hate LAX
25/03/08 18:42
Whilst I sit here in sunny Sacramento, California, it
is with some trepidation that I am contemplating once
more having to travel through the worst airport on
earth. I am attempting to conjure up any saving
graces, and after almost a week since my last
encounter with this place from hell I have realised
there is nothing to be said in its defence.
Having travelled a fair amount, I have encountered more than my fair share of incompetence and rudeness - but also wonderful helpfulness, humour, and general politeness. Coming from London, I know how difficult big airports are - and I am hoping that the impersonalness of Heathrow will be mitigated somewhat by the new Terminal 5 that opens to the public just after my return.
LAX and I have history. I have never enjoyed flying to or through it, but this trip was quite something. It began with an insecure man on passport control trying to show off to the person he was training. To be rudely questioned about how much money I have, followed by how was I getting to Sacramento. I admit I looked like hell - but I had been on a flight for 11 hours or so, and I travel in comfortable casual clothes. Well I had no dollars in my wallet, and the man seemed incapable of thinking someone might use a cashpoint in a foreign land. I wanted to retort that I was thinking of purchasing a US bank whilst I was here, but I decided that he'd clearly no sense of humour and I did want to be let in to the country after all. Thankfully my e-ticket sufficed on how I was getting to Sacramento (plane of course!) although he seemed incapable of believing that I might know anyone in Sac who possessed a car and might collect me from the airport. Throughout he expressed exquisite rudeness and arrogance - the like of which panders to anyone around the world who has a stereotype of Americans. Condoleeeeeeezzzza would have been proud.
Then to security! I virtually had to strip to get through it, and without a sign saying "please take your laptop out of your bag" (even without the please) it was hard to know that this was required. Suffice to say that got me in to more trouble and clearly the brothers of the passport control man were working the security system. Even I found it hard to just keep on smiling, and a lesser person might have thought it a conspiracy.
Well the rudeness went on - but my arrival, and indeed whole trip, in Sacramento has been heavenly. I admit, made more heavenly by the fact that I missed snow back in Blighty.
Fingers crossed the builders have finished.
My advice - never use LAX, use SFO instead. Always. This lesson is well learnt.
Having travelled a fair amount, I have encountered more than my fair share of incompetence and rudeness - but also wonderful helpfulness, humour, and general politeness. Coming from London, I know how difficult big airports are - and I am hoping that the impersonalness of Heathrow will be mitigated somewhat by the new Terminal 5 that opens to the public just after my return.
LAX and I have history. I have never enjoyed flying to or through it, but this trip was quite something. It began with an insecure man on passport control trying to show off to the person he was training. To be rudely questioned about how much money I have, followed by how was I getting to Sacramento. I admit I looked like hell - but I had been on a flight for 11 hours or so, and I travel in comfortable casual clothes. Well I had no dollars in my wallet, and the man seemed incapable of thinking someone might use a cashpoint in a foreign land. I wanted to retort that I was thinking of purchasing a US bank whilst I was here, but I decided that he'd clearly no sense of humour and I did want to be let in to the country after all. Thankfully my e-ticket sufficed on how I was getting to Sacramento (plane of course!) although he seemed incapable of believing that I might know anyone in Sac who possessed a car and might collect me from the airport. Throughout he expressed exquisite rudeness and arrogance - the like of which panders to anyone around the world who has a stereotype of Americans. Condoleeeeeeezzzza would have been proud.
Then to security! I virtually had to strip to get through it, and without a sign saying "please take your laptop out of your bag" (even without the please) it was hard to know that this was required. Suffice to say that got me in to more trouble and clearly the brothers of the passport control man were working the security system. Even I found it hard to just keep on smiling, and a lesser person might have thought it a conspiracy.
Well the rudeness went on - but my arrival, and indeed whole trip, in Sacramento has been heavenly. I admit, made more heavenly by the fact that I missed snow back in Blighty.
Fingers crossed the builders have finished.
My advice - never use LAX, use SFO instead. Always. This lesson is well learnt.
There's a guy down the chip shop, swears he's been offered a job with the NHS
29/02/08 07:49
With apologies to the late Kirsty MacColl, I just
couldn't resist the title of this blog. Well in her
song, the guy swears he's Elvis - but I think the
2000s equivalent is probably being offered a job in
the NHS. You may wonder why I say that ... well here
goes ...
I applied for a job a few weeks ago, and was surprised not to have heard anything. We won't mention where the job was, but suffice to say the HR department are clearly very challenged. So, I chased up what had happened - to be sent an indignant email attaching a copy of the letter that had been sent (admittedly nearly 2 weeks after the interview) offering me the job. Well, actually offering someone at a different address on my road but with the same name the job. The address was of the chip shop down the road! No wonder I didn't receive it - but I assume the evening after it arrived, the letter and the plethora of leaflets accompanying the letter were used to wrap up portions of fish and chips. Or maybe a pineapple ring or two.
There's a strange thing called Agenda for Change in the NHS now - I'd heard legend about it before I returned, but am amazed by how it has developed. Remembering the laudable policy intentions behind the change, it appears to have gone terribly wrong. Perhaps it might work with a well-resourced and competent HR function, but I am frankly stunned with how it gets administered across the various NHS organisations to whom I have applied for jobs in the past few months.
I'll update my ramblings further once I accept a job - but in the meantime I am sure that my battering skills will come in handy. What's Frying Tonight? (no jokes about sausages now, remember I don't eat them ...)
One more thing before I end for the night - we had an earthquake in Britain! 5.4 epicentre in Lincolnshire. However, I was just going to sleep in my humble abode in south east London 2 nights ago and my bed began to shake. I thought the rats were back from the supermarket over the road (that I dare not mention even though I know from the pest control people that that's where the rats came from before). Or that a burglar must have been in the house. Why either of those things would have made the bed shake is beyond me, but you know how the mind tries to make things logical when you're half asleep. Who, after all, would have thought it was likely that it was a quake! Anyway, that's been my week - Quake and Chips. Still Friday to go, so we'll see what else will come my way.
I applied for a job a few weeks ago, and was surprised not to have heard anything. We won't mention where the job was, but suffice to say the HR department are clearly very challenged. So, I chased up what had happened - to be sent an indignant email attaching a copy of the letter that had been sent (admittedly nearly 2 weeks after the interview) offering me the job. Well, actually offering someone at a different address on my road but with the same name the job. The address was of the chip shop down the road! No wonder I didn't receive it - but I assume the evening after it arrived, the letter and the plethora of leaflets accompanying the letter were used to wrap up portions of fish and chips. Or maybe a pineapple ring or two.
There's a strange thing called Agenda for Change in the NHS now - I'd heard legend about it before I returned, but am amazed by how it has developed. Remembering the laudable policy intentions behind the change, it appears to have gone terribly wrong. Perhaps it might work with a well-resourced and competent HR function, but I am frankly stunned with how it gets administered across the various NHS organisations to whom I have applied for jobs in the past few months.
I'll update my ramblings further once I accept a job - but in the meantime I am sure that my battering skills will come in handy. What's Frying Tonight? (no jokes about sausages now, remember I don't eat them ...)
One more thing before I end for the night - we had an earthquake in Britain! 5.4 epicentre in Lincolnshire. However, I was just going to sleep in my humble abode in south east London 2 nights ago and my bed began to shake. I thought the rats were back from the supermarket over the road (that I dare not mention even though I know from the pest control people that that's where the rats came from before). Or that a burglar must have been in the house. Why either of those things would have made the bed shake is beyond me, but you know how the mind tries to make things logical when you're half asleep. Who, after all, would have thought it was likely that it was a quake! Anyway, that's been my week - Quake and Chips. Still Friday to go, so we'll see what else will come my way.