What made you UNHAPPY today!

[Mark Blanchard]

What a shock! Only 58. I saw him at Brixton Acadamy. Black Rose and Lizzy Live at Sydney Harbour were a high point IMO, as was Wild Frontier.

RIP Gary.

Here he is showing how it's done (1:55 onwards):

[OwenGT3]

Not today, but Friday. I kerbed my NSR wheel and marked it.

It's the first knock since having them refurbished nearly two year ago. I ran over something that made an awful crunch noise, so reversed back to just feel the wheel hit the kerb, luckily I stopped straight away before doing too much damage. Made a graze about inch long, I've touched it in, you would have to look carefully to see it.

It turned out to be an empty 2 litre plastic bottle that made the awful crunch sound, blown about in the gales Friday. It had to happen sooner or later, it's just not nice when it does finally happen. I wish the tyres had better kerbing ridges to protect the wheels.

Edited February 7, 2011 by OwenGT3

[ifly]

Esprit officially sold Thursday, ships to Atlanta on Wednesday of next week! Royally bummed out!

I'll stick around on the forums. Have first right of refusal if he sells it and business picks back up again.

[ramjet]

HR departments that just don't get back to you. Even the HR department for the company that I work for.

"Your resume looks great. Will get back to you within a week!" 4 and a half months later - nothing. And yes, I followed up twice.

HR does not equal Human Relations

HR equals Human Remnants. Bloody useless.

Have been told that it is standard practice now for HR depts to not contact you if you are unsuccessful as apparently if they do not tell you that you are unsuccessful, the less chance there is of taking them to court for discrmination.

[The Veg]

Esprit officially sold Thursday, ships to Atlanta on Wednesday of next week! Royally bummed out!

I'll stick around on the forums. Have first right of refusal if he sells it and business picks back up again.

Bob, if it's any consolation, my Esprit, which now lives in the Atlanta metro area, also came from Denver just three months ago. Your car will be in good environs here, great driving roads just north of town and we've got a pretty good number of Lotus enthusiasts. With any luck I'll see your car out & about and maybe even mine and yours will recognise each other and wink a headlight.

I'll also keep my fingers crossed for things to improve for you! Business WILL recover.

[USAndretti42]

Absolutely nothing. Weather has been lovely, warm and sunny. Went to Half Moon Bay and had a really nice lunch (a burger made with lamb) at Pasta Moon. Strolled around the town and a gentle drive back home.

[mayevora]

My one day off this week, and it's absolutely hissing down outside.

[USAndretti42]

Thank goodness it didn't snow.

[ifly]

Bob, if it's any consolation, my Esprit, which now lives in the Atlanta metro area, also came from Denver just three months ago. Your car will be in good environs here, great driving roads just north of town and we've got a pretty good number of Lotus enthusiasts. With any luck I'll see your car out & about and maybe even mine and yours will recognise each other and wink a headlight.

I'll also keep my fingers crossed for things to improve for you! Business WILL recover.

Thanks Ben, I know the gentleman who bought the car has talked to a few Lotus owners in the area. Really bummed to see her go but business and the missus getting really sick before Christmas that created a huge medical bill kind of killed things. Ah well its only life, I have right of first refusal if/when he sells the car so hopefully she'll come back one day!

[Jukka]

Outside temperature, hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Too cold for me!

[rogerch]

I lost my reading glasses today, a very special set of graduated lenses I had made for Uni, that I have subsequently become unable to do without. I have an old pair now only used in the garage, (grinders and the like) the lenses are outdated and badly scratched and pitted. I've got the PC screen a 24" pulled halfway across my desk. My eyes feel like craters, and I'm putting drops in the every couple of hours.

Of course this has to happen on a Friday, so with my prescription, it will be almost a full week before I can actually put a replacement pair on my nose. The only good news is that they were insured because they're bloody expensive.

[fitz]

Waiting all week for the weekend, cold but predicted sunny, had a big list of stuff to do -> why is the only time you can do a lot things in the UK between 9 and 1pm on a saturday?!?!!

Its been raining and i've picked up a stinker of a cold that showed itself at 6pm on friday :@

knowing my luck, will be ok for monday, ah well, always next weekend for the excel's 3rd brake light.

[The Veg]

why is the only time you can do a lot things in the UK between 9 and 1pm on a saturday?!?!!

Such as, and why?

[mayevora]

In Portishead near Bristol atm, nursing a bit of a head. A port too many last night I suspect.

[fitz]

ben, my examples from yesterday

- visit the bank

- collect a parcel

- post a parcel

- visit a scrapyard

to be fair, you can collect a parcel up until 7pm on weekday so thats not normally a problem, but everything else has 9-5 opening hours and I can't make it after work!

[ramjet]

Had a heap of work to do in the yard today and only got through about half of it. So, tomorrow I'll be back out and into it again. Drowning out the pain of today with port. Wonderful stuff. Hmm. Maybe that comment should have gone in the What Made You Happy Today thread.

[Kimbers]

Spent 6 hours getting drunk last night and my body doesn't even have the decency to have a hangover! I feel cheated!

[The Veg]

Thanks Richard; I was half-expecting something about a law against working in one's garden outside certain hours. Thank goodness you guys' laws aren't THAT screwed up!

I can relate somewhat, as when I was on military station in Germany in the 1980s their businesses all closed at noon on Saturdays, with one enlightened exception: Langsamer Samstag, literally 'Longer Saturday,' one Saturday every month when they all stayed open through the afternoon the make life easier. I lived on-base though so I little need to conduct commerce in town and it didn't affect me much.

You'd love it over here; most US consumer businesses are open 7 days a week and most into the evening. We even have a lot of 24-hour grocers, particularly in cities that have workers on all shifts. This fine Sunday morning I'm about to head over to The Home Depot to pick up some concrete bits so I can build a new parking spot for the Esprit.

[oneshot]

There is a law in Germany about mowing your lawn at certain times of the day. Its called the German quiet hours. I think Sunday all day is classed as quiet.

[Loteuk]

was pretty ticked off by the bloke next to me in WH Smiths who was reading the last Classic Car mag - after 10 minutes he'd finished browsing, he returned the mag to its shelf and made a play for the house and home section. So the mag I was after was second hand?

What is it with these people who just use the mag racks for a stealing read while waiting for their other halfs - pond life!

[comem47]

was pretty ticked off by the bloke next to me in WH Smiths who was reading the last Classic Car mag - after 10 minutes he'd finished browsing, he returned the mag to its shelf and made a play for the house and home section. So the mag I was after was second hand?What is it with these people who just use the mag racks for a stealing read while waiting for their other halfs - pond life!

Better being the second reader of a magazine than next in line for a shopping cart (maybe)

shopping

[USAndretti42]

I hate those reports. Just scare mongering in my opinion and encouraging even more use of disinfectants to encourage the growth of disinfectant-resistant germs and reduced exercise of kids' immune systems leading to more asthma.

Regarding the magazine thing, I've spent many a happy hour in Barnes and Noble, taking a couple of magazines off the rack to the coffee shop and reading the articles of interest. Positively encouraged by the shop. Never felt the magazines I have bought from there were second hand. I don't think reading them wears them out as long as they don't get crumpled.

[The Veg]

I hate those reports. Just scare mongering in my opinion

Notice who published that article.

and encouraging even more use of disinfectants to encourage the growth of disinfectant-resistant germs and reduced exercise of kids' immune systems leading to more asthma.

Hear, hear! I'm constantly amazed at how readily humans forget that we come equipped with an immune system. The world is a dirty place, but we've survived it through all these eons fairly well. I fear the day when a TV ad for a disinfectant product will portray a housewife recoiling in fear as she screams, "OH MY GOD, A GERM!!!"

[Mark Blanchard]

Off to Russia this week. Much colder over there and the Russians aren't very friendly .

[OwenGT3]

Discovering this evening that Elisabeth Sladen has died of cancer. Those who grew up in the 70's will remember her as Doctor Who's assistant Sarah Jane Smith, with John Pertwee and Tom Baker as the Doctors. Usually you hear something that someone famous has a terrible disease like this, but only suddenly hearing that is why it's so shocking news.

My favourite of all the assistants I knew while I watched Doctor Who, a sad loss and only 63.

Elisabeth Sladen

Edited April 19, 2011 by OwenGT3