The Captains Log

1002.08 NEW BLOG

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:50:00 +0000

I've done tons of work researching and learning over the last week since learning that Blogger (my blog service provider of choice) was to end it's support for ftp uploaded blogs. I looked at other providers and the services 'new' Blogger had to offer and finally I have come up with a solution.

I'm staying with Blogger, I have looked at the features and worked out how to customise the page to how I want it. It'll mean a few tweeks to the rest of the site but nothing drastic. If you want a look at the new and I believe improved blog page then click on this link:

http://baldlygo-captainslog.blogspot.com/

From now I'll not be accepting comments on the old page but all the same posts are over at the new one. Enjoy!

1002.03 NEW HOME REQUIRED

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:48:00 +0000

I just learned that Blogger, my blog provider, is closing down it's support of FTP. This means that I have to transfer my blog to the full Blogger service. This could affect the asthetics of my website (which I've worked hard on over the years). I am in a bit of a panic now as to what to do next.

1001.31 PLOT? WHAT PLOT?

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:40:00 +0000

Ok, anyone reading the last entry might be forgiven in thinking what the picture has to do with the text. This, my friends illustrates my point exactly. I was supposed to go on about how I'd indulged over the Christmas period and now because of all the stress I am under I am comfort eating, topping that the bad weather (and time off work to look after Morticia) mean less cycling, I am worried about gaining weight. I'm not fat, never have been (although I started to get chunky on the latter years of my bus driving) but it does seem to run in my family.

I also wanted to mention that my downfall as most people know are crisps, especially chilli flavoured Doritos. I can't help myself, they are just so handy and flavourful.

I have to some extent managed to replace the snack with another less fattening one; Rivita crispbreads and Marmite. Mmmmmmm! The cycling seems to have started to get back into full swing again so maybe I shouldn't worry. *Sigh!* Don't think I will though.

1001.31 LIFE GETS IN THE WAY

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:01:00 +0000

I've found it difficult to write this post, not because of the subject matter, that's the usual drivel I deliver. No, it's been difficult because I've found it hard to put aside any time recently, even minutes have been difficult to spare of late. Morticia has been ill, kids have been kids and work has been riddlied with politics. It seems that everyone wants a piece of me despite the actions I've tried to implement over the last few months.

I need time for me, alone. I'm never completely alone and I've always got a task at hand. Cycling has always been an escape but I need more, I did want to push it to the next level but with no way of funding a new ride (work's Cycle to Work scheme seems to be tied up in upper management wrangling) I can't see me pushing past extended commutes. I also got my Unlimited cinema card so I could escape. It's just not happening, I can never seem to get free from the demands on my time.

I realise that this is a rant but I need to get this off my chest otherwise I'll never get the perspective to bring this blog back on track. It is true what they say...

Life gets in the way of living.

1001.24 DAYBREAKERS

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:51:00 +0000

"ORIGINAL PREMIS, ENDING FELT LIKE TV PILOT."
The Captain's Movie Review in 7 Words

1001.10 THE ICE AGE

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:10:00 +0000

I seems like an eternity since the snow came. The land is white and for the first time in my adult life I can say that this is what winters were like when I was a kid.

I loved it last Tuesday when the snow came across the region hard and everything ground to a hault within the hour. The great unwashed started to panic. That was the day when certain people had a genuine reason not to get in to work. For the rest of the week people en-mass took the piss and declared 'snow days'. The worst offenders in my opinion were teachers. How many schools were closed unnecessarily because of this 'don't give a toss' attitude?

We've been warned that the cold snap will continue for the foreseeable, it's been like 'The Day After Tomorrow' out there.

It's fun if slightly tragic how badly the great unwashed drive in the slippy stuff. So much so that I've mothballed my cycling whilst the snow and ice is on the ground. Where I live never ever gets gritted, perhaps because it's a dead end at the bottom of a hill. It's been funny to see cars come down and get stuck getting off. I've never gotten stuck and always manage to get my car off.

Wrap up warm guys.

1001.03 ALLONS-Y

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:38:00 +0000

I just couldn't let the excellent performance of David Tennant as Doctor Who pass without saying just how much myself and all the family have enjoyed watching.

I remember when the series returned and how exciting it all was, how my youngest daughter embraced the show and how all the family sat down on a Saturday to watch. I was initially disappointed to see Christopher Eccleston leave but I have to say that the show wouldn't have continued without the power and enthusiasm of Mr Tennant.

We all watched the rollercoaster that was the 10th Doctor's final moments and then, with tears in our eyes, he regenerated...

I have high hopes for the new series, I don't listen to the negativity because that's what has always happened (at least it has in my lifetime) when a Doctor has regenerated.

Geronimo...

1001.01 TEN YEARS AGO

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:34:00 +0000

The first posting of the new decade, but what was I doing 10 years ago....?

Everyone had celebrated the millenium, I guess I must have been doing the same pretty much as I have today. My eldest was 3 years old, an only child at the time. I was a bus driver dreaming of a new career. We were still newlyweds and Morticia wasn't ill. The future looked bright.

It's been a challenging 10 years; babies to teenages; 3 became 4; new home; collectormania; Wales; facebook & twitter; new job; cycling etc etc.

I'm looking forward to the next 10 years. Happy new year, happy new decade everyone.

0912.31 HAPPY NEW YEAR

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:25:00 +0000

I'm not going to do the predictable and review the year or even decade. I simply want to wish all my friends, family, followers, fans, stalkers and anyone passing through a happy new year and new decade.

0912.25 CAPTAIN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Ok, so I'm a bit late posting this. So sue me! I've been busy.

It's finally here once again and once again I've survived the build up. This year hasn't been easy, in fact it's been a stinker.

The highlight was my holiday back in August, although cut down somewhat to previous years. We returned to our favourite place, Cei Newydd in Wales and the Hotel Penwig.

Star Trek was reborn thanks to the genius of J.J. Abrahams and like most fans I was nervous about the result.

Apart from that good times have been few and far between. It seems that fate once again saw fit to test our strengths as a family. No major disasters but lots of smaller issues, one after another. Things have been difficult but I'm optimistic about the new year.

0912.19 TIS THE SEASON

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:06:00 +0000

So it's the final leg of the road to Christmas. A time when people panic buy because they are worried that the shops may never reopen again after Christmas Day and traditionally you have cupboards full of food you're not allowed to eat because 'it's for Christmas'!

A week last Thursday saw our office party. If I'm honest I'd say that I wasn't looking forward to it (in fact if I could have gotten out of it I would have). In the end and despite not partaking in the drinking of alcohol, I had a wonderful night (and it's safe to say that so did Morticia).

Christmas shopping is painful and hideous and I've hated every minute. What is fun about spending more than you can afford then giving the stuff away?

Last night was the annual Jolly Boys Christmas drinkipoos. The Jolly Boys event used to be well attended, unfortunatly, as last year, there were only 2 of us; Mr C and myself. We toured the various hostileries within Rotherham town centre taking in the sights of the lady Santas of which there were many. As usual we ended up in the Snafu (the town's premier rock bar) where I unleashed my air guitar skills.

Considering I didn't get to bed whilst 3 this morning I'm feeling pretty good today (I've been at work since 9:00, this is a miracle)

0912.10 PRE-CHRISTMAS DO

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Tonight sees the annual office Christmas party, this year a more formal affair than previous years. My suit is ready, Morticia has a nice spangly dress and babysitting is organised. The only issue is it's a school night so whilst everyone else will be getting hammered, I'll be on pop.

0912.01 FIRST FROST

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:18:00 +0000

The advent calendars are out and I must finally accept the reality of Christmas. The cold frost has arrived and although it hasn't turned the land white (just yet) it was amusing to see motorists scraping their windscreens and pouring boiling water over the cars (surely that's gonna crack the glass?).

I must say that if you wrap up warm it's fantastic weather, much more preferable to the wet we've endured over the previous month.

0911.28 LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:58:00 +0000

TENSE EDGE OF SEAT RIDE, DISAPPOINTING ENDING.
The Captain's Movie Review in 7 Words

0911.27 FIRST AID

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

This week I took the proverbial bull by the horns and tackled my weakest skill at work. I took the 4 day Mod 4 First Aid course. I am pleased to say that I aced it and am now a fully qualified first aider!

0911.24 CHIN CHIN

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:12:00 +0000

The winter is here and it's gonna get colder real soon. In fact the evenings now are dropping to about 3 degrees (according to my car's thermometer). Because of this I've deceided to thicken up my beard for the winter. It's been a couple of weeks now and it's pretty thick. Let's see where it goes.

The reason for growing the beard may also be because I've been feeling down and need something to hide behind.

0911.22 WHERE IS THE CAPTAIN?

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:50:00 +0000

I haven't drawn any new pics of my little friend 'The Captain', my digital alter-ego. To be honest I haven't been in the best frame of mind to do anything, especially like drawing. Don't worry, I'll kick myself up the arse and sort something, hopefully by next weekend.

I'm off to work shortly, I just love working Sundays, not!

0911.19 CHANGE OF PLAN

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:39:00 +0000

This week should have been work Monday and Tuesday then off till Sunday (annual leave). Change of plan, because of a family emergency (which would be inappropriate of me to go into detail about here) I've ended up being off Monday till Thursday, back at work tomorrow (Friday), then off Saturday and back again on Sunday. What a messy week!

Went Christmas shopping on Wednesday and Thursday, hating the season already. I'm not going to blather on about how fucked up the whole thing is again, I guess I do that most years. It's just a demon I have to live with.

Four of the fence panels that broke during the last storm are now shattered and spread across the garden. Two of them are the responsibility of next door. I'm not confident that they will do anything about it, since their English is awful I guess I'm going to struggle with this one.

Spend some of my time off setting up home wifi so I can connect the wii to the internet. I now have BBC iPlayer on the main TV (the whole purpose for doing this) and my phone can enjoy a fast internet link when I've at home.

Been reading some 5 year old blogs of mine. It's amazing how some things have changed and others have stayed the same.

0911.16 CUSTOMER SERVICE

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:23:00 +0000

I was contacted today by Whitley Hall Hotel via Twitter. They were responding to a tweet I posted last week regarding the lack of cycle provision...

'Arrived at Whitley Hall Hotel. Cycle provision is none existant.' 9:25 AM Nov 11th

I've never before experienced such aggressive customer service, to actually seek out complaints and deal with them is completely new to me.

0911.16 WEEKEND WITH THE KIDS

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:27:00 +0000

Morticia went to Nottingham for a 'girlie' weekend this weekend and left me to look after the kids. I don't mind, sometimes I even get a small amount of time to myself.

It seems that no one wanted to help me tidy up, I spent most of the time running around after the kids. My only consolation was that I got to watch the new Star Trek DVD (a total of 5 times), great considering it's not officially 'out' till Monday. Gotta love Play.com.

Wish I could have a couple of days to myself. I feel so mixed up at the moment, I need to rediscover myself. Maybe when Christmas is all done with I can go a check into a hotel for a couple of nights with some books and be truly alone.

Went to visit my Grandad yesterday. Nan didn't sound very good when I phoned her so I knew it was important I go. Grandad discovered he has cancer and the doctors are not going to treat it. I don't know what this means and I don't know what to think. All I do know is that I am very scared. didn't get chance to speak to Nan properly, without Morticia being with me it is hard to do.

I'm all over the place.

0911.10 THE FOURTH KIND

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:49:00 +0000

DISTURBINGLY THOUGHT PROVOKING, IS IT REAL THOUGH?
The Captain's Movie Review in 7 Words

0911.08 DEMONS

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:23:00 +0000

So, British Summer Time is over. The nights are longer and colder and traditionally we get busier at work.

I went back to work after a week off with the Swine flu. In hindsight I went back way too early (there was no way I was fit enough). I went back because I knew there was a staff shortage and I thought it was the right thing to do. I was wrong. Whilst I was off one of my colleagues was given the job of acting as supervisor for the team (a job I've been doing on and off for the last few months). Now I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity but this was a long term opportunity. You could say I'm 'pig sick'.

Since returning I have felt isolated, outside the loop and generally out of touch. I know that many factors in my life a causing me to feel this way it's not all work.

Home is proving to be difficult for me and I have a general feeling that I am not coping with things. Perhaps my weekend state has affected me far greater than I anticipated and my demons (that I usually keep at bay) are surfacing.

Whatever is making me feel this way I know I must get a grip on it all before I cause further problems for myself. Time will tell.

0910.25 WEEK OF HELL

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:51:00 +0000

It all started with me going back to work. I was really still too ill to go back but knowing that we have been understaffed I went back in anyway. Did I get thanks? Did I hell. There was a nasty atmosphere within the team and to top it I was refused leave for this weekend. I was not a happy bunny. I spent most of the week in a foul mood and did my best to keep out of everyone's way.

I was pushed hard despite telling my supervisor that I was needing to take it easy, I felt they were taking the piss. I needed to vent but had no outlet although I did have a private moment where I kicked the shit out of my locker (although the locker being made of metal won).

On appeal I did get my leave granted so at least I had this weekend which we had planned to drive to Morticia's mothers.
-----
So Friday night we set off (as we have done loads before) to visit Morticia's mother in St Neots. It's a tedious 125 mile drive down the A1 and to top it I'm not a big fan of night driving (although I enjoy early morning journeys).

The journey was going pretty well until we reached the A14 where the A1 closed (roadworks). I followed the diversion signs until they just vanished. We ended up at the border of Cambridge before I pulled over to check in we Google Maps. I plotted a route (which involved a certain amount of back tracking) and ended up getting to our destination about an hour late.

I'd like to thank the Highways Agency for pissing me off and wasting my time and petrol. Knobheads!

0910.19 BACK TO WORK

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

As I write this first paragraph I'm sat on a bus travelling to work. I'm not quite ready for my cycle just yet, I'm taking it one step at a time. I'm pretty keen to get back to work however I feel a little apprehensive to what awaits me. I've heard some rumours about certain staff being shipped out of the team for a transgression and other tit-bits. I'm not a fan of office politics an fear that there will be something of an atmosphere on my return.

0910.17 A DUVET & A BOX OF TAMIFLU

noreply@blogger.com (The Captain) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:54:00 +0000

I thought I'd got a cold last weekend, come Monday morning I thought it was a bad cold. By Monday afternoon it was becoming apparent that this was no cold. I then learned I'd contracted Swine Flu. I got a reference number (you don't get a prescription) to collect a box of Tamiflu from the local collection point (luckily there was one in my village). I was then quarantined to my house until Friday.

I slept, I ached, I coughed, I sneezed, I sweated, I shivered.

So now at the other end, I still feel ill but not like I was. I'm still coughing but the muscles are no longer aching. I'm even considered going out tonight for a bit. I'm determined to be back at work on Monday but am worried about being fit enough for my bike.

I recently got an invite to preview Google Wave, the new messaging system that the Google people are playing with. Unfortunatly for it to be effective you need people to talk to. I have one contact, the person who invited me - @JaneBunny, a twitter friend. Not really ideal to be able to give feedback.