9 January 2024 (Tuesday) - Award Winning

I woke at half past two this morning and lay in bed trying to convince myself I didn't need to get up for a tiddle. After half an hour I gave up, got up and had that tiddle. I then lay awake for an hour and just as I nodded off so the snoring started. It was one of the ladies; it wasn't me or Morgan.

After a while I realised that sleep wasn't happening so I got up and had my morning scrape. As I shaved I realised that all the talk about having the bathroom done up has fallen at the first hurdle. Everyone we've approached to quote for getting it done says that having a wall mounted fan heater is a total no-no because of "health and safety". But a fan heater warms the cold bathroom in a matter of seconds. Radiators don't.

 

I made toast and watched another episode of "Peep Show" which was rather good.  One of the main characters (Robert Webb) bears an uncanny resemblance to someone with whom I went to school. I'm sure it's not him, but he must be a close relative. I wonder whatever happened to Paul Jackson. I've heard nothing of him for over forty-three years. A quick Google search came up with nothing.

 

I set off to work... once I'd got my car out of its space. Some people pride themselves on being able to get their car into the tightest spaces, but have no thought for how the car they've just blocked in can get out. Fortunately I'm not "car proud"; if I have to bash bumpers or scrape cars, I don't care.  Luckily for whoever had parked me, in I didn't leave any dents. Or that is I don't think I did. There's none on my car that weren't there before.

 

I set off on as little pre-work Munzee mission then headed off up the motorway. This morning the pundits on the radio were talking finance. There was an interview with someone from some American bank who was talking about aerospace engineers. These people are hired and fired depending on how "the market is doing", and the banker being interviewed could see nothing wrong with this. But he did have an issue with fired aerospace engineers going and getting other jobs because this meant that "the market" couldn't hire them again when the whim took it. This banker had no care for the concerns of real people, but was clearly very passionate about "the market" and clearly cared more for it than for people who'd lost their livelihoods.

I wonder if all the aerospace engineers having pissed off to get other jobs is why bits are falling off of Boeing 737s? Apparently loads of these planes have been grounded with all sorts of bolts needing tightening since one lost part of its fuselage in Alaska recently.

There was then some spokesman or other telling how tough things are in the hospitality sector. They didn't have a good Christmas. Much as I like a pint, having one in a pub isn't a cheap option. Chuck in a meal and another pint or two (and the same for family and friends) and you are looking at the thick end of two hundred quid. For the price of a round of drinks in the pub you can go to Sainsburys and be drinking at home all night long. And the family had Christmas dinner at home a couple of weeks ago cheaper than my personal bill was at our last pub outing.

Sadly pubs are a luxury few can afford these days. I can't help but wonder if they had their day.

Yesterday I mentioned that some private American firm had sent a probe to the Moon. Apparently it has gone tits-up.  That's a pain in the glass, isn't it?

 

Eventually I got to work. The motorway was busy, and again Hermitage Lane was blocked up by road works which were all "road" and no "works". Once in the car park I scrubbed the car's windscreen. Since the weekend it has got incredibly grubby.

I did my bit, and as I did it I started out of the window at a very bright day. So different to wet and snowy yesterday. There was cake at tea time, and as I read my Kindle app it gave me another award. A week ago it gave me an award for actually using it. Today it gave me a prize for having read two e-books this year (week). I finished another e-book today.

 

I got home far quicker than I did yesterday. But having had a rather grotty night last night took its toll this evening as I kept nodding off. I hate that; wide awake when I should be asleep, and fast asleep when I should be wide awake.

I’m definitely going to have an early night.