Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I think it's good that Pakistan have a way of continuing to have home games even if tours to their country aren't possible.

Well done Sir, glass half-full wins.

[tikay]

Better.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

So I rather liked this thread, started by Evil Pie, as an antidote to all those dreadful "Why I hate/things that piss me off" threads, which I'm not ashamed to say I have never once viewed.

that's only coz you tell us all the stuff that pisses you off on here :p

QFMFT

[Karabiner]

You mentioned Westward Ho! earlier, which also happens to be the home of one of the oldest golf courses in England.

The magnificent Royal North Devon Golf Club where the legendary J.H.Taylor, one of "The Great Triumvirate"(consisting of James Braid, Harry Vardon and JH Taylor himself) started his career as a "caddy-boy" lies a mile or two away from Westward Ho! and standing on the first tee I can remember thinking that it looked like a big field and wondered if they were having me on when they had  told me it was the finest links course in England.

How wrong I was to doubt them, it's a quite amazing course which I would love to play again sometime.

[mulhuzz]

'Notify a job' is horrid. I don't think that notify can take a direct object like that in that mood.

Notify taking the direct object is what made it appear strange to me.  Is it a more archaic use of the verb?  The DWP use it, but I can't find too many more examples on Google: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22notify+a+job%22

i'm pretty sure it's just wrong and the DWP are also just flat out wrong here. wouldn't be the first time.

[bobAlike]

So I rather liked this thread, started by Evil Pie, as an antidote to all those dreadful "Why I hate/things that piss me off" threads, which I'm not ashamed to say I have never once viewed.

that's only coz you tell us all the stuff that pisses you off on here :p

QFMFT

Hi Tikay,

I've been hovering writing this post for all or 20 seconds thinking of how to respond to the comment about the piss you off type threads. I initially started the thread because of the blatant waste of tax payers money in times of austerity. It kind of got out of hand but I think 60 pages further down the road it simply shows that sometimes people just need to sound of about things that irritate them.
It's good to let off steam sometimes. I think the thread should make an appearance on the 'makes you happy' thread.

The 'fuck you off' thread I started was because 3 thieving scumbags broke into my house whilst my wife, 2 young children and myself were fast asleep. These 3 scumbags later performed armed robbery on a bank and a post office and then wrote off my car. I make no appologies for this thread.

Funny thing is, is I'm a happy person really.

BTW first time posting on your thread although I do lurk whilst silently admiring the steam engines.

[tikay]

So I rather liked this thread, started by Evil Pie, as an antidote to all those dreadful "Why I hate/things that piss me off" threads, which I'm not ashamed to say I have never once viewed.

that's only coz you tell us all the stuff that pisses you off on here :p

QFMFT

Hi Tikay,

I've been hovering writing this post for all or 20 seconds thinking of how to respond to the comment about the piss you off type threads. I initially started the thread because of the blatant waste of tax payers money in times of austerity. It kind of got out of hand but I think 60 pages further down the road it simply shows that sometimes people just need to sound of about things that irritate them.
It's good to let off steam sometimes. I think the thread should make an appearance on the 'makes you happy' thread.

The 'fuck you off' thread I started was because 3 thieving scumbags broke into my house whilst my wife, 2 young children and myself were fast asleep. These 3 scumbags later performed armed robbery on a bank and a post office and then wrote off my car. I make no appologies for this thread.

Funny thing is, is I'm a happy person really.

BTW first time posting on your thread although I do lurk whilst silently admiring the steam engines.

Bob, worry not, I'm a funny bugger, and it is me who is out of step with the world, & often Forums, not everyone else.

I can fully understand your angst after that dreadful experience, I really can. Been there, not nice. Some folks like to vent to get rid of their anger, thats fine.

Just because I wrote - truthfully - that I studiously avoid such threads, does not make them wrong. As I say, I'm a funny old bugger. But there IS a reason for that. Readers will need to bear with me here......or look away now, as I am in a melancholy mood tonight.

I've lived a wonderful life, but much of it involved conflict, & aggro. Growing up, as a child who was "backward" ("retarded", as the current vogue describes it) was interesting.....having a step-mother was likewise. I worked hard to get away from home conflict, & as a result, rose quickly in business, & found myself in Management. And what does Management do with its time? Resolve arguments, strikes, dissident staff, & most of all, which I spent almost all of my career doing, conflict resolution. At which, casting aside false humility for a moment, I have excellent skills. Maybe because I have seen so much of it.

So I retired early, to get away from it eventually. Great decision, peace at last.

And then, Dave Colclough approached me, & asked me to enjoin with him in blonde. And so it began......

I'm not sure it is confined to poker players, but the blondes seem to love a good ruck, or many of them do. Take almost any thread, & it soon kicks off. And I groan, every single time - poker is our recreation, why do we have to have aggro so often? But peeps like it, so fair enough I guess, but I'll pass on it, if I may. Then there's the trolls. Did you ever meet an intelligent troll? Nope, nor me. But they can't half stir it.

Then I got approached to help start APAT. Great success, but what vitriol towards us when we began!

I left Poker Night Live to help start up 865, after being poached by Sky, & the PNL forum abso slaughtered me for, as they saw it, killing their channel. Never mind.

At 865, initially, & then Sky Poker, life is fantastic, it really is. We started from zero, broke every known rule of how to run an Online Poker Room, got - still get - told daily by adolescent poker players we are doing it all wrong, & them boys don't do social skills, they just pile in with the aggro speech. Never having seen the inside of an online poker room, mind. Meanwhile, the business is bursting at the seams, innovating non-stop, breaking traffic records week after week, heading steeply north as most of the others plummet south. Funny old game.

It's part of my role there to front up to all that stuff, & I do it well. I have to non-stop bite my tongue, stop myself saying what I think, but it is cool, I manage. Day after day, they moan & groan, & I deal with it. "sort it out Sky" (usually mis-spelt) is the most common thread title next door, bless. Think they skipped the psychology class at school.

I have to "work" Facebook, too, same thing. I used FB for the first time in months today, after "retiring" from it for a while, & it kicked off instanty, kids moaning.

blonde is my eascape, & I adore it here - really, I love the place. These days, I try to spend a day each week offline, to just have a change of scenery, get better life balance. I love writing this Diary, too, or I would if I had enough time to do it properly. At present, I have over 60 stories half-written, which I want to do properly. Time, or lack of......

Anyway, I like blonde most when it is peaceful, & everyone gets along. Did you see Tighty's Advent Thread? Magnificent, & everyone adored it. Perfect.

I don't know if that makes much sense, but I feel bad that an honest comment has clearly troubled you a tad. I did not intend that, hence the rambly explanation.

My life is wonderful, never been better. Aggro, it will never go away, but these days, I try to avoid it as much as I can, & diffuse it if I can, too.

Life's too short. Was there ever a truer saying? But you only realise that when you get to my age.

Carry on with the threads, & I hope you continue to enjoy blonde.

Anyway, now you know, & perhaps understand better, why I never open certain threads.

Now it is me hovering over the "SEND" button, because such a Post will invite ridicule. Eeny meeny miney mo.......

[tikay]

Which reminds me - I must Post my New Years Resolutions. 18 days in, & most remain intact. Almost.

[tikay]

You mentioned Westward Ho! earlier, which also happens to be the home of one of the oldest golf courses in England.

The magnificent Royal North Devon Golf Club where the legendary J.H.Taylor, one of "The Great Triumvirate"(consisting of James Braid, Harry Vardon and JH Taylor himself) started his career as a "caddy-boy" lies a mile or two away from Westward Ho! and standing on the first tee I can remember thinking that it looked like a big field and wondered if they were having me on when they had  told me it was the finest links course in England.

How wrong I was to doubt them, it's a quite amazing course which I would love to play again sometime.

Now THAT is what I love to see, what a great Post, thanks Ralph.

I took to playing golf very late in life, having watched it on TV for 3 or 4 decades. Mostly American golf, The Masters, manicured fairways, nice & flat, everything neat & tidy.

My first visit to actually play a links course - American's barely know what "links" golf means - was therefore a shock. Unkempt humpety-bumpety fairways, bunkers everywhere, wispy long grass, wtf?

I played Royal Portrush & Royal Co Down (both in NI), all the Fylde Coast links, St Andrews, the lot, & came to love them eventually, once I had learned a valuable lesson which would serve many poker players well - respect.

When I first played St Andrews, someone told me "it's not possible to knock it out of bounds at the first". They were wrong.

I wish I could find the time to write more about the golf courses I have played. Few realise what a MOST peculiar course St Andrews is, with those double greens & monster wide fairways. Easy it is not.

If the Sky gig ended tomorrow, and it may, who knows, I think I'd have such a Bucket List to sort, I'd be busier than I am now. But taking up golf again would be on that list. And photography, Scotland, Fishing, travel, Test Cricket, & something I just can't master - relaxing.

More golf stores from readers, please, love them.

Meawhile, we have started something new next door today, so I need to go mind the shop for a bit. It's been well-recieved, everyone seems happy with it. So far.

Click to see full-size image.

[bobAlike]

I thoroughly enjoy being a Blonde member and I fully understand your feelings about how things run or turn out sometimes.
The funny thing is I have worked on many government I.T. projects over the last 10 years with the last 5 being sent to sites where there were awkward/disgruntled customers. I recently got approached by another company to join them on an MOD project. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, more money, better hours, no dealing direct with the awkward customer. Fantastic, how come I miss my old job?

[tikay]

I thoroughly enjoy being a Blonde member and I fully understand your feelings about how things run or turn out sometimes.
The funny thing is I have worked on many government I.T. projects over the last 10 years with the last 5 being sent to sites where there were awkward/disgruntled customers. I recently got approached by another company to join them on an MOD project. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, more money, better hours, no dealing direct with the awkward customer. Fantastic, how come I miss my old job?

Thats how life is! It was always so.

PS - if it's not indelicate to ask, what sort of MOD projects? And what do you do, exactly. Like, exactly roughly.....

Click to see full-size image.

[TightEnd]

I love Westward Ho!. When my kids were young we would holiday near Woolacombe/Croyde Bay and travel several times over the fortnight to the magnificent Westward Ho! beach with those huge boulders. Without Wiki, I cannot name the geological term for them, but they form a huge break from beach/sea to car park, behind which is a nature centre and the golf course. To get to the car park, having driven through Appledore, you pass a small hut with an old fella hunched in it handing out tickets, and drive straight across several hols of the golf course.

I played Royal North Devon once, with the Father in law. Ralph my favourite stretch was the par 3 hitting towards the sea then a very long par 4 parallel with the beach/dunes. I forget the hole numbers. Tough does not describe it, it could blow a gale on the stillest of days elsewhere. I think I ran out of balls, fortunately with a natural slice I was hitting away from the sea on the run out to the furthest extremeties of the course.

[tikay]

I love Westward Ho!. When my kids were young we would holiday near Woolacombe/Croyde Bay and travel several times over the fortnight to the magnificent Westward Ho! beach with those huge boulders. Without Wiki, I cannot name the geological term for them, but they form a huge break from beach/sea to car park, behind which is a nature centre and the golf course. To get to the car park, having driven through Appledore, you pass a small hut with an old fella hunched in it handing out tickets, and drive straight across several hols of the golf course.

I played Royal North Devon once, with the Father in law. Ralph my favourite stretch was the par 3 hitting towards the sea then a very long par 4 parallel with the beach/dunes. I forget the hole numbers. Tough does not describe it, it could blow a gale on the stillest of days elsewhere. I think I ran out of balls, fortunately with a natural slice I was hitting away from the sea on the run out to the furthest extremeties of the course.

Welcome to blonde, post more. Why not start a Diary, I fancy you could write a bit?


PS - Remind me to chat to you tomorrow, I got resolution on that Luton thing.

[bobby1]

On a golfy note Tony, the Bob Hope Classic which has been on the US tour since the early sixties is no longer. The event is being played on roughly the same courses this week but it has been reduced from a 90 hole event to 72 to fall in line with the standard format. It has been renamed the Humana Challenge which is a real pity as it had such history and charity under the Hope name.

[gatso]

Notify taking the direct object is what made it appear strange to me.  Is it a more archaic use of the verb?  The DWP use it, but I can't find too many more examples on Google: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22notify+a+job%22

when I've seen it it's generally on internal memos of various companies so guess that's why it doesn't crop up too much on google

it's purely an english usage according to the dictionary, one of very few examples of us screwing up our own language while the yanks get it right