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15 February 2018 (Thursday) - Another Day in the Life

I was woken just before three o’clock by my phone telling me I had an email. Despite having mobile data and wi-fi turned off, the thing still manages to get on-line. I wish it wouldn’t do that. I dozed off again but was then plagued by rather vivid dreams about horrific camping trips with the Boys Brigade.
I blame that past-its-best cheese I had last night.

Over brekkie I watched an episode of “Plebs” that I don’t remember having seen before. Stylax finally got to do some chariot racing, Marcus finally got to “do the dirty deed”, and our heroes ended with plans for a group hug once they’ve washed off the blood, shit and vomit.
As TV comedies go, it is rather good, despite the blood, shit and vomit.

I thought I should really see what emails I’d been woken for in the small hours so I got the lap-top going. I was pleasantly surprised; Monday’s blog entry had received a comment. Someone claiming to be called “Humuan Kabir” had written “What a great post. I’m really like it! Very, very dgdeeac good!” and then gave a blatant plug for his business which was all about selling flat Earth maps.
Unfortunately the flat Earth maps weren’t very dgdeeac good at all.
I had a notification about a job in Woolwich, and a notification about a job in the hospital in which I used to work which is not four miles from home. I actually considered the job for about two seconds. On the one hand I wouldn’t have to get up until two hours later every day, and I would save nearly a hundred and fifty pounds in petrol every month… on the other hand I could carry on working where I’m happy. I’ve only been in my current job for just over a year and being happy in my workplace is still something of a novelty for me, so I shall stick with what I have.
I had an email telling me that someone had particularly liked the geo-series I’d put out near Great Chart.
And with little of note on Facebook I set off to work.

I needed petrol so I went to my usual place on the ring road only to find it was closed. They were getting petrol. So I went to Sainsbury’s where the stuff was two pence more expensive per litre. A full tank of petrol cost me a pound more than it would have usually have done. And I thought that the women on the tills were rather rude; they were so wrapped up in their gossip about whatever rubbish they’d been watching on telly last night they weren’t actually speaking to the customers at all.
Narrowly avoiding impact with a lorry from Weddell-Smith which went straight through a red traffic light at full speed I then set off in the general direction of work.

As I drove the pundits on the radio were talking about the resignation of ex-Premier Jacob Zuma who is no longer the head honcho in South Africa. He’s had the heave-ho in favour of someone not quite so corrupt. Not that I’m defending him in any way, but for all that he probably has had his hand in the till for years, I can’t help but remember an ex-colleague Sylvester who harked from that general part of the world. He told me that when he applied for his passport he had to give an official the equivalent of twenty quid not to throw his application away. When he wanted a day’s leave, the boss wouldn’t grant it unless he got a twenty quid bung. From what Sylvester told me, corruption seems to be embedded into society there. Getting rid of it is so necessary, but will probably take years.

There was also an interview with the president of some group or other who claimed to be representing the interests of small and medium-sized UK businesses. Apparently most of the people he claimed to be representing have got the hump. Having been convinced that European regulations were hamstringing their businesses they’d all voted for Brexit. Now they realised that in or out, if they want to deal with Europe they will still have to abide by those regulations. But having left the EU they will have absolutely no say in them whatsoever whereas before they had some (if very limited) input.
I’ve said before that we really should vote again on the whole Brexit thing but with a clear understanding of exactly what is being voted for.

Last Friday I failed to find a geocache near work. I went back today and taking my life into my hands I scrabbled under a road bridge on the Pembury by-pass section od the A21 where I found the wreckage of what I was hunting. There is only so much of a happy dance one can do under a road bridge but I had a go at one.
And as I drove into work I saw that petrol at the petrol station closest to work was eight pence per litre more expensive than I usually pay for it.
Work was amazingly busy; I had no less than three “brown alerts”. If I were ever asked to offer career advice I would suggest working somewhere that doesn’t have brown alerts on a semi-regular basis.

I came home only to find "er indoors TM" had taken the wolf-pack for a walk. Hey weren’t out long, and once home she boiled up some slop as she does so wonderfully. We scoffed it as we watched the first episode of “Bliss”, a new series which has some promise.  Then two new episodes of Big Bang Theory as I scoffed an entire box of Thornton’s chocolates.
I feel sick now…

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