Wednesday, February 28, 2007

What goes around comes around

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tyre, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tyre. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid.

This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.

The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Today, I sent you this story, and I'm asking you to pass it on... Let this light shine.

Don't delete it. Please pass this on to a friend.

Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Another weird headache...

... this time I could blame being stuck under a light panel at work! Got home in one piece though. No sign of the snow promised, although some parts of the Angus Glens did get some. A little wet and windy, picking up once I got closer to home.

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Monday, February 26, 2007

Snow tomorrow?

I caught a glimpse of the weather forecast today on the telly at work... snow all over most of Scotland by early afternoon, thick by the evening! Not looking forward to that tomorrow...

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

A quieter week ahead

Another day in the flat, with the usual weekend chores and tasks. Looking ahead, this would appear to be a straight forward week at work, with no appointments etc. coming up. Wait until the following week though, which will be all over the place... and so will I be!

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Another quiet day

I slept until around 10-1100, but waking here and there. I was able to relax for a bit longer on the bed...

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Friday, February 23, 2007

Twenty Hours In One Day

I woke up at "silly o'clock" right enough! 0500 UK time! (Some of my American readers may have not gone to bed by that point!) Had to book my tickets (paid today), and the site is down each morning but I couldn't remember until when - turns out it was 0400-0700. So, went back to bed for an hour, didn't sleep but did manage to relax. Thinking of everything at once! Got up around 0620, stayed on the pc for a bit, went for coffee and a shower, had to do my hair as I'd not done it on Thursday! Then came out the shower at 0710, got my seats booked, got dried off, dry hair, out the door, got some "breakfast" from Tesco, before heading for the bus to Glasgow at 0800.

Yesterday, the M80 (main road from Dundee/Stirling to Glasgow) was closed from 0100 to about 1900 after a truck did something a bit silly, and jacknifed the truck into the gantry, trapping a car with it. Nothing like that today, which is good... sometimes the weekly appointment system can be useful!

This gets me in for 0953, and I manage to get around to Bath Street (for bus to Sandyford) and on it for 1001. I arrive at Sandyford 1010. I did tell Alex (the counsellor) that I may be late this week , but I managed to be not too bad in the end. We largely discussed my childhood - and a different way to look at some of what I have endured. I have another two appointments spread over the coming weeks, to add to the GIC visit (in the same location) on Tuesday 6th March.

I got out at 1120, and turned my phone on. I was meant to be meeting up with the West End Poet (I do try where I can!), but he's had something else occur. Never mind, not to worry, I shall be back at least three times next month, so plenty of opportunity!

So, I got some things around Glasgow city centre. Found a store in the Savoy Centre doing a nice range of cheap sweets, but also a small range of model buses in the cabinet. Will be back no doubt one day...

I had lunch at the only A&W's in Scotland (combined A&W/KFC at the top of Renfield Street) - but after next week, it becomes a "plain" KFC only store. No! ...Afraid to say it is! So, from there, stopped at Sainsbury's, before heading for the bus back to Dundee, leaving at 1330. At this point I will have been up for eight and a half hours, with a lot more still to go!

One of the stories that I read in the Metro, and on WEP's blog for yesterday, was that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) are contracting First to run a "Subway Nightrider" - a night bus service that follows a circular router, at times when the Glasgow Subway is not running. This will provide a "through the night" service on Friday night into Saturday morning, Saturday night into Sunday morning, and Sunday evenings when the Subway finishes about 1800 usually. There will be a flat fare of £2.00 - double the daytime Subway train fare - to use the Nightrider service, which will commence on 20 April 2007

The SPT website explains the story, and quotes Cllr Watson as saying "It may not quite be David Hasselhoff's car Kitt from the original Nightrider but the Subway Nightrider will provide a comfortable and safe journey home for people travelling late at night"

After reading the Evening Times and the Metro, I got the cracked old mobile out, fired up Messenger to chat with a certain person who has been good at supporting me in the last few weeks... and we chatted right through to Dundee... and Jay, as ever, you have been wonderful! Almost about as low-tech hi-tech that you can get (i.e. via GPRS and WAP), but it still allowed us to bridge almost four thousand miles! You can be alone in the middle of no-where, yet still feel together!

I made it into Dundee, and hotfooted it to the Seagate for a bus to work. Got in for 1600 hours - 15 minutes earlier than last week because I pre-bought my food ("lunch") at Sainsbury's in Buchanan Galleries Glasgow, rather than in Dundee city centre. Got in just as the boss was doing the timesheets to take down to the agency... By this point, I have now been up for 11 hours.

I got signed into the computer and phone system, and then I got called over for my performance review for January! Bear in mind I was depressed, coming off the Androcur etc. and everything else, I was a bit concerned. In the few seconds it took to walk from my own desk to the relevant manager's desk, that was all - then, I was happy when I saw the result - 21/30! That is somewhat good, but February may be a little lower. At this point, I'd been up for just over 12 hours. I then went back to my own desk, which was beside the window, looking out onto Riverside Avenue. I could hear someone's car alarm going off, so I got up to have a quick look. I put my left and on the right-hand side of a large A1 size whiteboard, placed horizontally on the windows ledge, but without any fixed support. By the time I realised it wasn't fixed to anything, it was heading for the floor.... I tried to grab it with the hand, and thus noise ensued, and everyone else looking in my direction.... I then tried to rescue it, but it slipped, more noise! Got it back on ledge single handed, and everyone went back to what they were doing, and I went for my break before I could cause nay more damage!

Yes, clumsy as ever, but what can you do! The duty desk person asked if I was alright... but I think it was more a "more noise than damage" thing.

How come this gets more blog space than anything else that happened today? Well, what's life if you can't have a laugh at yourself sometimes?

Headed for my break at 1815 (just over 13 hours up), and tried to explain the whiteboard incident to one of the team coaches that missed it...

We actually got unusually busy - for a Friday evening - more so than I would have expected. By the back of eight, it was all over though. I made it to the end, in one piece, and finished bang on 2300 (by this point, up for eighteen hours). Pleased with my week, and progress (excluding whiteboards), and marginally happier this week than I was this time last week, I decided that I could just about stretch to a pizza takeaway, and I'd not had one from the local kebab shop (Corfu) for some time. I've noticed my appetite appears to be coming back... but it comes and goes... but I managed to demolish the lot, and ended up in bed around 0100 - twenty hours up in the end.

Tired, but happy.

p.s. No whiteboards were harmed in todays events.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

Challenge Suzy

Well... what can I say?

I left the house in plenty time, made it to the bus shelter "West Marketgait opp Police Station" (i.e. round the corner from the flat) for 1345... 17 towards Ninewells Hospital bus leaves the city centre stop 1351, due there 1355. It didn't show up on the real time bus tracker displays - well, booked time only i.e. it's not found it in space or on earth! Just after 1400, I am assuming that the bus has been cut - I've to get to Westgate (doctors) for 1420, and the next bus isn't due until 1415 (showing on realtime as being due in 18 minutes). My appointment is 1420, so I start walking - in the rain - to Westport, for a 22/22C.

400 yards down West Marketgait, and the 17 Ninewells starts passing... in service, with a well-established driver! How did that happen - and how come it was never tracked on the display? About the only way I think this could happen was if the driver coming off peddled like hell down to town, got in early, and the replacement was late - but the bus would need to have been abandoned for 15 minutes for that to happen! I continued the 50 or so yards around the corner, and get a 22 instead - we get to the end of the doctors road for 1418, as per the drivers ticket machine! And they wonder why I think that could do with a car, eh?

Got to the doctors, not a lot to say. This was a follow-up to that from two weeks ago. Got given an anxiety survey to complete - no question of "Does filling in forms make you anxious?" but you get the idea. Turns out the letter from Dr Ewan at Sandyford (see here) has now arrived, and the doctor sent the prescriptions that I have been waiting on (Finasteride and Duphaston) down to Boots chemist in town (without telling me).... I was told to come back in a month, and in the meantime, I have enough time to go straight around to work, or I could proceed to the chemist and pick up my pills... otherwise I may not get the chance tomorrow, and of course the longer I'm on the Provera, it does technically continue the potential for depression!

So, took the 9x/10x (first bus that came along) - and stayed on past work, headed back to the city centre. Got the pills, and then the 9x back to work, passing the docs. Got in for 1545, saw not my own boss but one of the others (the boss is around the corner). I got in for 15345, got give the desk/chair of someone due to finish at 1600. They had a long running call to 1617, and thus I didn't get signed in for a bit afterwards at 1625. Got moved down the middle (keep us all together in the evenings) exactly two hours later! (1825)!

It was a varied day. The first challenge was the wind, rain, and the time being against me. That was passed - only just! I managed to get from the bus stop (1418) via the consultation, survey filled in, booked another appointment, made it to the bus stop, 9x boarded, quick food and drink purchases in town, queue in chemist, get everything I was waiting on, get bus back, and arrive at work at 1538 - eighty minutes exactly! Naturally, finally getting the "revised" allocation of pills was good. Duphaston is a direct replacement for the Provera (both artificial forms of progesterone), but the former is less likely to cause depression. I stopped taking the Androcur some five or six weeks ago - and the Finasteride is a similar replacement. Again, this is less likely to cause depression. On the TS groups, almost everyone who was on Androcur (or cyperetone acetate) reported some kind of upset. I had seen the packaging of the Finasteride before, which is probably just as well, given the "health warning" on the base of the packet!

So, feeling good, and ready for my Friday ahead!

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

New name, nothing else

Today is the first day of the company's new identity (see last Wednesday's post), although for the moment that is all. Following the last two days, I got the bus before the one I got yesterday i.e. 1400 from town, instead of 1415. Got in therefore almost 30 minutes to spare! Still no seats... everyone is finishing at 1600! After about 10 minutes of looking, finally was told to sit with the email team once more - got a desk quick enough, but had to wait until 1500 to get a chair!

During the evening, turns out they've got another new spreadsheet that we have to fill in... but because I'd been doing emails for the last three weeks, no-one thought to tell me...

The company marked today's changes in a number of different ways. This included a "come in dressed in company colours" day - and by complete coincidence, I had a red top, black skirt ready for today! The company also bought in a large amount of munchies and drinks., and shared it out throughout the day so everyone could benefit (that was well thought out). There were a number of events, including a "rodeo bull" in the canteen area.

Everyone was given a printed copy of an email, which said "Assuming out new name is the first step on this road. In the weeks to come, we will replace our signage, change our email addresses, and legally move towards the new company identity". Sounds a bit like gender reassignment, doesn't it? Bizarrely when I was out on walkabout yesterday (trying to stay awake!), I saw the power substation building at one side of the building, which is still endorsed "BT Call Centre". BT ran the building up to 2001 I think, when it became ClientLogic, and now Sitel.

So for now, the name has changed, but that is all.

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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Wide Awake And Weird

So how was my day at work? I was getting tired at the start of my shift - yawning every 5 seconds, just like yesterday! At my first break (1600), I went outside in the "fresh air"... and it seemed to work, because I stayed relatively awake until home time! I was sat in with the "email team" once more today...

... oh, and I did post a video link to YouTube earlier on, but the video has been cut. Shame. If I find another similar link, I shall post it here a bit quicker next time...

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Fancy A Day Trip?

From Monday 19th March 2007, the new summer network of "Scottish Express" services will be introduced by Fishers Tours of Dundee. This set of bus routes is designed to allow passengers to have a day trip from Dundee and the surrounds, to one of many different areas. The network has been expanded on last year, following such popularity.

While the full list of services looks a little confusing...
221 Arbroath - Dundee - Kirkcaldy
222 Arbroath - Dundee - Oban
223 Arbroath - Dundee - Pitlochry
224 Arbroath - Dundee - Jedburgh
225 Arbroath - Dundee - Ayr
226 Arbroath - Dundee - Fort William
227 Arbroath - Dundee - Callander
228 Arbroath - Dundee - Inverness
229 Arbroath - Dundee - Largs
231 Brechin - Dundee - Livingston
232 Brechin - Dundee - Stirling
233 Brechin - Dundee - Leith
234 Dundee - Brechin - Aberdeen
235 Brechin - Dundee - Glasgow
236 Dundee - Arbroath - Banchory
237 Arbroath - Dundee - Stirling
238 Arbroath - Dundee - Leith
239 Dundee - Arbroath - Aberdeen
240 Arbroath - Dundee - Glasgow
241 Brechin - Dundee - Ayr
242 Brechin - Dundee - Fort William
243 Brechin - Dundee - Callander
244 Brechin - Dundee - Inverness
245 Brechin - Dundee - Largs
246 Brechin - Dundee - Banchory
247 Brechin - Dundee - Kirkcaldy
248 Brechin - Dundee - Oban
249 Brechin - Dundee - Pitlochry
250 Brechin - Dundee - Jedburgh
251 Arbroath - Dundee - Banchory

... it means there will be a total of thirty different fortnightly services. For people in Dundee, it means a choice of three different destinations per day, Monday to Friday only. For people in Forfar/Brechin or Arbroath/Montrose, there will be one or two coaches per day.

Mondays - Ayr, Livingston, Banchory
Tuesdays - Fort William, Stirling, Kirkcaldy
Wednesdays - Callander, Leith, Oban
Thursdays - Inverness, Aberdeen, Pitlochry
Fridays - Largs, Glasgow, Jedburgh

This continues until the end of October/early November.

You can reserve a seat on any of these services by visiting the Fishers Tours travel shop at 16 Westport, Dundee, or at the mobile booking office. You can see full timetables, as well as details of the mobile shop, as part of the Monikie Scotland website - click here.

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Monday, February 19, 2007

We Are All Made Of Ka's

... well, I could have called it Caroline In The City 2...

... basically, that's what it was. After a repair to the car (something was on back-to-front), she drove back down to Dundee. We had another chat together, before she dropped me off at work... sharp at 1500, after the car park machine in the Wellgate decided to reject every note of currency offered to it! What an impression for a visitor (to our city), eh? I must admit, this was my first ride in a (Ford) Ka, and it seemed quiet enough the second time!

Work was good - I have reverted to my own job, even though a shortage of seats meant I was sat in the same e-mail team area, that I was in last week.

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Sunday, February 18, 2007

Caroline In The City

I spent the afternoon with a friend from the south. Caroline had come up to Angus on Friday, and had acquired a car from a relative. Today, she was going to be driving it back down south, but she stopped in Dundee for a few hours first! It was her first time here for two years, and we used part of the afternoon to talk about a huge number of things. In the end, the car ended up having to head back to Angus, because the breaks were making a somewhat unusual noise... and she's staying up there tonight now. At least she made it to Dundee and back in one piece!

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Saturday, February 17, 2007

Quiet Day

After the adventures of this week, it felt so right to be able to wake up at the usual time of 1000 again (for a normal weekday), but then to go back to bed for a few hours... after being up and about for about an hour. OK, so I needed it, but it did feel so good. Maybe because I am still getting out of my mind that I don't have to work Saturdays - for now at least. The shifts I am on (1500-2300) are all up for review in early March, so I may end up back on my own in time... who knows. Once I'd woken up in the early evening, got things ready for Sunday...

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Re Peter Hendy's MySpace...

This has since appeared on it - so, why did TfL claim that it was the real thing then?

"Please Note:-

Since the recent appearance of this account in the evening standard,
we feel it is appropriate to point out This is a SPOOF myspace
account. Purely based on our Love for Mr Hendy- he is in no way
affiliated with this account, nor is Transport for london. Please
direct any questions to TFL website.
If you have serious comments about transport for london, Please
Contact them them directly at The tfl Website"

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Friday, February 16, 2007

No journey is too great

Another long day - eighteen hours plus in the end - but, believe it or not, I wasn't as tired as I was the previous evening. I woke up in time for the 0800 fast bus (M9) to Glasgow. The choice was of this one, or the next one an hour later. The latter would leave me with not a lot of time to get there i.e. about 20 minutes, and 15 is pushing it. After being a bit too tight for time the last time I was up at Sandyford, decided to go for the earlier this time - even if it meant pulling out of Dundee at 0800.

The counselling service is part of the centre, although it is entirely separate from them (in terms of confidentiality etc.), so it is meant to be entirely open. Alex apologised for being just a little late with starting off, and we headed for the counselling room - yes, they've got a room specifically devoted for the purpose, with similar soft seats to the rest of the centre, but also dimmed soft lighting, which helped soften up things. While I managed to over-run my hour a little bit (and still only skim through my life since August), it was good to have an impartial voice to think about what is going on in my head right now. I will check with my own doctors at my forthcoming appointment about something similar more locally, but in the meantime, she's booked me in for next Friday.

So, that was that - and it was time to head back to Dundee, with just enough time to grab lunch, and head for the 1330 fast (M9) bus back to Dundee. This was my planned/booked departure, to ensure I could get back to Dundee to start work - and as I got into work for 1608, I started at 1615 (time in 15 minute blocks). Apparently, "we need you" they said earlier in the week!

Today was of course, my last day on the email team, as this is the end of three weeks. Has it really flown by in that time? The email system decided to reward my loyalty by crashing with forty-five minutes left to go, but the time was used to count and check our daily stats.

I have enjoyed my time answering email enquiries. What makes it different, I hear you say? Well, bearing in mind I am limited by what I can say, I will explain why I liked it. Firstly, it was something different to do. Variety is certainly the spice of my life. It was the same job, but that little bit different. The voice wasn't so much of a problem (although it's gone this week, I shall need to work on it for, and after, the weekend). I did get some good feedback from customers on my responses, including one who praised the service he'd had from me... and all I did was to answer a few questions. Like I said before, it's not what you do, it's how you make people feel.

Oh, and when I got home, there was a letter from Ninewells photobiology unit (laser hair removal), which confirms I am now on the waiting list. That's not bad - I only asked Dr Ewan for the referral back on 23rd January.

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Thursday, February 15, 2007

There's a bus shelter in the car park...

As if this week could not get any more surreal... it just did.

I missed this, presumably either because I've been off, or a non-smoker! The number of times I recently heard the smokers amongst work making references to buses in the north-east - most notably around Inverurie, lead me to question Ian... and, yes, out in the car park, we now have the bus shelter that used to be at Inverurie Town Hall. I still had a bit of my "lunch" break left at this point, so I went out for a look.

You won't see it driving past along Riverside Avenue, because it has been placed into the former brick smoke shelter. However, if you walk around and try look at it from the car park side, you will see it there. The timetables are fairly fresh, dated 13 November 2006. The audio unit has been removed, however (if it was in there in the first place - the picture doesn't show the area clearly).

In the background of this picture, you can see what the bus shelter looked like, before it came "doon tha road". Irony of this being... I got on a 493 there back in August, on the way to Ellon (to change for Fraserburgh). Until now, I was probably the only person from my place of work to have used that shelter... until now...

... and by the way, the old ones (that were replaced as part of Dundee SmartBus) from Apollo Way West ended up at Lathalmond, Explorer Road North/South in Dunkeld and Aberfeldy. So, why did we get one from up north? Well, it turns out that Trueform (contractors for Dundee City Council) are currently installing some new kit for Aberdeenshire Council too. So, look out for more Aberdeenshire shelters around the city soon?

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Least likely to have a MySpace account?

Yes, the profile is here...

Your bus is late? Have a go at the TfL boss on his MySpace website

"He is one of London's most powerful men, overseeing the roads, the congestion charge, and Europe's largest, most complained-about public transport system.

But we can reveal that the Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, has been spending evenings, weekends - and even part of his working day - in the chatroom with teenagers on the MySpace web site.

In a move that will have dramatically raised the average age of the site's users, Mr Hendy, 53, has created his own MySpace page.

Mr Hendy tells site users that his "body type" is "slim/slender," adding that his sexual orientation is "straight" and he is "in a relationship."

Other details, however, are less typical of MySpace fans. The Commissioner gives his income as "£250,000 or higher" and lists his interests as "buses, trains, trams, roads and Any TfL Stuff".

Mr Hendy also posts his official TfL biography together with portraits of himself, the TfL logo and a picture which he has entitled "Me With Some Of the Buses".

TfL confirmed last night that the site was genuine.

"It is not a spoof," a spokesman said. "Any dialogue with Londoners to promote our policies is welcome."

Mr Hendy's site has become something of a cult destination among teenagers attending Bishop Ramsey School in Ruislip, Middlesex.

More than 40 of them have added themselves as "friends" to his page and made ironic comments about the state of the transport network.

"I saw you on the news the other day, making excuses," says one boy. "Naughty naughty."

Another posts: "You are looking buff (good) in dem pics. Every time I get the bus, I think of you. Safe, bruv!" An 18-year-old girl from North Harrow, north west of London, signing herself "7 of Hearts" complains that "it rained on me yesterday while I was waiting for a train...I am appalled."

In another post, "7 of Hearts" also complains that "your underground staff at Eastcote station, Hillingdon, were mean to me...What do you propose to do about it?" Within minutes, Mr Hendy apparently replied: "When I get to work on Monday morning I'll sort this out, I'll either sack them or give them a good spanking (not myself but someone lower down the food chain than me.) All the best, Peter Hendy." TfL insisted last night that although most of the site was real, this exchange with "7 of Hearts" had not been written by Mr Hendy and they would investigate.

Not all of Mr Hendy's correspondents are critical, however.

One 17-year-old, Ian, praises TfL's controversial bendy buses ("woop, peter hendy, love the work u r doing, especially those no.18 buses!")

Mr Hendy has used his website to promote TfL's controversial scheme allowing free bus travel for under-18s.

But London Assembly Tories were today making a fresh bid to scrap the free travel concession, saying it was costly, wasteful and had contributed to a rise in anti-social behaviour on the buses."

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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

News from TIP

The Illusion Principle have written an instrumental mix of "Take me to bed or lose me forever" just for Valentines Day! You can hear it on their MySpace. Although it did crash my web browser on the first attempt, don't let that put you off! They have no plans to get "soft" generally... I am told.

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Work gets taken over

That's true - ClientLogic (i.e. where I work) will be known from this time next week as Sitel - following a merger of both companies that happened last month.

The announcement says that for associates (i.e. the staff) that "There will be greater opportunities for associates to advance globally..." Now, I wonder, does this include a transfer opportunity somewhere around North America? Maybe that's not far away enough at the moment... lol

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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Twice as better?

OK, does this mean I've now recovered twice? Maybe not.

At least the cold is gone - now, to add that to yesterday, I can now get on with the task of work, and back to my last four days answering emails.

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Monday, February 12, 2007

The best laid plans of mice and women...

I had hoped to return to work today. So soon, you say? Yes... well...

... I woke up with a bit of a cold... and I felt well worn...

... so, called in sick, went to bed for a lie-down, and woke up about four and a half hours later...

... but now, I am feeling fine enough to continue, and hopefully make it in tomorrow. Lets see how I manage!

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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Quiet weekend...

... it really was!

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Friday, February 09, 2007

A more pleasant day-ish

I did feel a bit better today, than yesterday (or Wednesday) - that wouldn't be too difficult. Something that I'd already been considering was speaking to a counsellor over the way my mind has been going for the last few months (before Wednesday) - in fact, this came to my mind over the weekend. There are some "unexplained" things in my life right now, things I don't understand in my own mind. As a result, I've got one for Friday next week at Sandyford.

In other news... if you wondered what happened to that truck from earlier this week...


SUV mauled, hauled from bitterly cold, frozen bay

February 9, 2007) - Cut and drag. Cut and drag. Cut and drag.

Employees of Jim's Service Center in Rochester worked for 36 hours to haul a mangled sport utility vehicle from the icy waters of Irondequoit Bay late Wednesday night.

The 2000 Chevrolet Blazer was frozen, partially submerged, for nearly two days after its owner, Travis Newberry, 20, of Rochester drove the SUV onto the iced-over bay late Monday night.

The vehicle broke through the ice into 4 or 5 feet of water about 450 feet from shore. Newberry and two friends were not injured during the incident.

Removing the vehicle "was a monumental task," said Jim Mathews, owner of Jim's Service Center. "I didn't expect it would be as time consuming or as manpower- or equipment-draining, as it was."

Toiling in the bitter cold with whipping winds, workers first cut the ice around the SUV with chainsaws and then flipped it on its roof to drag the vehicle to shore, Mathews said. But the vehicle - filled with water and ice - repeatedly fell back through the ice.

Two of Mathews' workers fell through the ice during recovery efforts. No one was seriously hurt, he said, "just a little cold."

The ice was reportedly 9 inches thick where the SUV broke through. The vehicle, which weighed 4,147 pounds when empty, weighed over 9,000 pounds after it was removed because it was filled with "huge ice blocks," Mathews said.

Officers did not charge Newberry with any violations since it is not illegal to drive a car on the ice, said Sgt. Jonna Izzo of the Irondequoit Police Department.
A state Department of Environmental Conservation official said Tuesday that the owner was responsible for removing the vehicle and associated costs, as well as any fines that might be levied because of fluid leakage or other reasons. But DEC Regional Director Sean Hanna said Wednesday that the agency does not plan to levy a fine against Newberry, who has cooperated with DEC officials in recent days.

"We kept a close eye on the situation; nothing or virtually nothing leaked from the vehicle," into the bay, Hanna said. "We've all made decisions in life that we've regretted. We think he's paid enough for his mistake."

It's still unclear whether Newberry will recover any of the loss, according to Kristen Steinmiller, vice president of Steinmiller Associates in Webster, which did not write the policy on the vehicle.
Workers at the agency have been wondering themselves whether any policy would cover the damage. "It's definitely not collision," she said.

There's a chance that comprehensive coverage might pick up part of the tab, Steinmiller said, but "I think they'll deny it."

Newberry could not be reached for comment.

The recovery cost "will be in the neighborhood of $5,000," Mathews said, but he has not reviewed all of the expenses and has not drafted a bill yet.

Mathews said that he was among a crew of 10 men who worked on the recovery.

The crew, which repeatedly cut 10- to 15-foot sections of ice away from the SUV, used both winching and an elaborate pulley system to drag the vehicle to shore. As they worked, dozens of people stopped by to assist by holding flashlights and helping to move equipment,, Mathews said.

"We were so appreciative of the support," he said. "It really made a difference."


...and, on a humourous note, the B*stard Operator From Hell has a somewhat topical explanation to the boss this week, when asked to deal with his daughter's ex-company laptop.
"You should go to Vista."
"So you like Vista?"
"Not really, no. I run a Vista simulator."
"Virtual Server?" the Boss asks.
"Nah, I just turned on all the flashy crap in XP, changed the background image, took some memory out of my box and clocked down the CPU. Then broke Media player. Works like a charm."

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Thursday, February 08, 2007

Not what I wanted

Today, my headache came & went a few times, but I was still upset. I was back to upset over everything, including things I could not change about myself. These things have came and gone in the past, and recently I've often put them down to something else happening in my life at the time. I always try to put the bad things behind me, and carry on. Just recently, there have been too many of the bad times. This has happened too often, so I can admit that I am feeling very depressed at times. I managed to get an appointment with one of my own doctors for 1650. Remember I said last month that if I felt bad two days running I would seek further help?

I tried to explain the basics of what had gone wrong. As ever when I get depressed, I couldn't quite explain things in my usual way, I didn't feel right. It almost went back to how I used to be - less confident, but I ploughed on with it. The doctor said that he doesn't just prescribe things easily, but we had a talk about how I felt. I didn't explain any specific incidents, and they had previously known about a few. (It's a while since I've been there). As a first step, he has prescribed me with anti-depressants, from now, and wants to see me again in two weeks. He knows they probably won't be working for me in two weeks, but they've not had the letter yet to make the changes recommended previously at my last visit to Sandyford.

So, back home, but as I leave the doctors, it's cold and wet! The hailstones are coming down, and the snow lying made a combination with the slope that defeated several cars! I got the 1704 Stagecoach Strathtay bus 73 from the stop after Ninewells about 1710ish. Naturally with the dark, hail/snow, cold temperatures, and hills/slopes, traffic was slow. Glamis Road took out several cars - on the shallower part at the top... before continuing to the Perth Road area. From the top of Roseangle all the way through to the ring road (East Marketgait) was gridlocked. We finally got to the High Street at 1750 - almost at the time of the next 73A service due 30 minutes later... if you thought that was bad, I saw the 2 Dryburgh (Travel Dundee bus) leaving town at what I thought was the right time for it (1730ish). The 2 is a half hourly service, which leaves town on the hour, and half past. Around 1745, another 2 Dryburgh went up - so the one before was either 25-30 minutes late, or this one was early...

... No one could be early in this sort of weather. It might explain the reason there had been a late notice cancellation - otherwise there was not going to be anything until Monday! Back to today, and despite the delay, I had time to get the prescription from Boots (late opening Thursday) before the store closed. Ironically the person doing the checking noticed that I almost ended up with the wrong box of pills... no idea what would have happened if I'd had something different, as it's "new" and I'd not had them before! I headed back home.

In other news... I heard today that Stephen Parascandolo, webmaster of the Unofficial Croydon Tramlink website , died yesterday morning in a car accident. Mark Hatton, technical webmaster, broke the news late last night on the site...

"This evening I was contacted by Mark Parascandolo, Stephen's brother, who informed me that unfortunately Stephen passed away in a car accident this morning. He asked me to post a message to the website to let everyone know as soon as possible. I don't have any more information at this time, but if the family wish me to post any further information, I will gladly do so."

If you look through the website, you will get a feel for the passion and interest Stephen had for what he did. He lived slightly away from the system (latterly living further away), but this did not change things. The site was most useful to enthusiasts and passengers alike. RIP.

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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Not quite as planned

Wednesday was quieter at work. We were a few bodies down in the team, but it didn't really matter, as it got quieter - well, a lot quieter, quicker than yesterday. The thing is, throughout the day, I had this weird headache that kept coming back... and I felt a few other weird feelings... and I had those pains in my shoulders... reminded me somewhat of how I felt on Sunday...

... I got home, back in the door. I got really upset... and that was putting it mildly. There was no particular reason for it - just "everything". I'd not been this way for several weeks now... why did I feel this way? I couldn't understand it... but the more I thought about it, it became worse... and the headache now reminded me of that which I had several months ago.. .maybe it's some sort of warning... early into Thursday morning, I eventually managed to get to sleep...

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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

All change. Again.

Dundee City first of all, and Whitehall Street is now re-opened (most of the hole has been filled) By late evening, the gas contractors had started digging a hole into the temporary bus stop... kind of makes you wonder why it was placed there!

My day at work was really busy - almost non-stop in fact - and as a result, I did manage a bit more happiness and smiling... and I was "happy" when I went home.

Outside Dundee - and following on from yesterday's cold temperatures in the states, here are two stories from the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper in Rochester, NY, USA...


Cold, fuel woes strand school buses

(February 6, 2007) - Extreme cold weather and fuel problems stranded school buses along roadsides across Monroe County on Monday morning.

Diesel fuel in school buses jelled, clogging fuel filters. This caused buses to lose power and forced them off the road until repair crews arrived, said Michael Proukou, Spencerport transportation director, on Monday.

In Spencerport, 18 school buses with students bound for Spencerport High School had to have their fuel filters replaced by district maintenance crews at roadside.

No one was injured, but students arrived 30 to 45 minutes late.

The problem stems from the use of a state-mandated low-sulfur diesel fuel additive. Some districts buy fuel with the additive included while others buy fuel without the additive and add it themselves.

The mandate is new this school year and Monday's extremely cold weather was the first time the additive was needed, Proukou said.

The problem in Spencerport occurred because crews there added the fuel additive to fuel already containing the additive.

The incorrect balance in the fuel caused the fuel to jell.

Proukou said he spoke to transportation officials in Hilton, Webster, Greece and Rush-Henrietta school districts Monday and each reported fuel-related bus trouble.

In Greece, 30 out of the district's 206 buses were affected.

"The filters that were clogged are being sent out to be analyzed," said spokeswoman Laurel Heiden. "The cause is yet to be determined."


Winter sets in -- and SUV sinks

(February 6, 2007) - Closed schools, icy roads, wind-blown snow, travel advisories, dead batteries -- and a vehicle partially submerged in icy waters this morning: Winter, real winter, has arrived.

But be thankful: While only an inch of fresh snow was recorded in Charlotte this morning, East Aurora, ten miles southeast of Buffalo, got about 40 inches, the Oswego area got up to 45 inches, and east in the Tug Hill region three to four feet of new snow was reported.

Back in Irondequoit, police today were investigating an incident which led to a sport utility vehicle falling through the ice around midnight at Sutters Marina on Bayfront Lane.

No one was injured, according to Monroe County emergency dispatchers. The vehicle remained partially submerged this morning...

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Monday, February 05, 2007

As one way opens, another remains closed

When I was out yesterday, I was fairly certain that I saw the road put back into one place in the City Centre, ready for reopening the Whitehall Street bus stops today. Guess what happened? There's another hole there today, so diversions continue! The bus before my one to work was running seven minutes late (I was heading for the shop before hand, or I would have gone for it), then my bus to work somehow managed to turn up 14 minutes late - rendering me late for work! The one after that was... four minutes early! There are some things I can't even explain, let alone start to understand...

... I wanted to get back to smiling at everyone at work today, and on the way there, and back... managed it a bit, but tomorrow is another day!

Away from Dundee City... it was MINUS 20 (when including wind chill) in the Rochester (NY, USA) area today. At that temperature, you can develop frostbite on open skin in around thirty minutes. Ouch...

... and, slightly more closer to home, several friends had been waiting on dates to see surgeon Thomas (see previous notes). Zoe now has hers, and it is still April as originally planned. As she has spent quite a bit of time with the now-recuperating Aunty Sarah back in January, she knows what to expect.

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Sunday, February 04, 2007

My Sunday Evening

OK, I am awake, and feeling better for it! Load two of three is doing the spin at the moment, and I have had a quiet evening in, watching Bridget Jones - The Edge Of Reason.When she's in the taxi near the end of the film, why does she go from the south side to the City (of London) via Picc Circus? Surely the cabbie made enough on the fare as it was... or was it just for the sign?

Here's a useful freebie that I found via The Ticket Collector - BiTE - The Discount Card For Commuters. Freebie discount card, valid in most UK railway stations (but not for travel).

News that I should have posted last week is that The Illusion Principle - the band with my colleague Adam Hobson as the drummer - have added some more gigs for March & April. They will be playing at Bannermans in Edinburgh, as well as King Tuts in Glasgow (yes, they've made it!), and then Barrowlands 2! Adam keeps reminding me they've been hard at work practicing, and "it sounds better" he says. The website includes some music, so you can try before you come along.

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My Sunday Daytime

I went out for the afternoon, met up with Tails Prower 2040 for a bit in the city centre. We met up, had a look at the bus station, Gallagher Retail Park, City Quay, and then back to town - but I felt a bit off-key throughout. Headaches were no worse than before, but by the end, both my shoulders were (unusually) sore at the same time. I put it down to the shopping carried home yesterday, and had a nap whilst part one of three of the washing was going through...

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Saturday, February 03, 2007

Links etc.

I have added a few more links to the right-hand side bars. Although this is a continual process, I thought I'd mention a few of those that I have added today. None of these are new sites (two are new to me), but they are fairly useful in their own right.

Dundee Lift Share is a part of the Liftshare network, specifically designed for this part of the world. Ideal if you cannot find suitable public transport, and you get the feeling that it is a journey someone else would be making.

Traveline Scotland is a Scotland-wide journey planner, which can plan your journey between places or postcodes.

Under blogs, I have added Driving A Bus, which is the story of a Stagecoach South bus driver. I did the 700 back in April last year (see my Fotopic) - from Brighton all the way to Portsmouth, almost on one journey - but swapped from the single to the double behind it at Worthing (the single wasn't going all the way anyway). Since then, the Olympians have been replaced by Tridents, and the service level increased to cope with an increased passenger load. Jimmy is a fairly recently qualified driver, and has commented on the 700 as well as the more local stuff.

There is also Working At Food Place, which is the diary of a supermarket worker, at an unspecified supermarket. Lots of explained (reasoned) rants about customers and fellow staff make it a very interesting read.

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A quieter Saturday

Well, in comparison with last week! Had some good fun, but I let myself sleep a bit later this time around. I went out for another MegaRider (weekly ticket), and ended up with one with no date... the conductor's machines have a habit of doing this... but will be replaced in due course anyway. I'd fancied a few more things from Sainsbury's that I bought the last time I was there. So, it was 16921 on the 73A from Commercial Street to Broughty Ferry Library, walked around for 33264 on the 88 to Sainsbury's, then back to Strathern Road, then getting on 42224 on the 71 back to town. Went home, dropped the bags off, back out again, and used 47257 on the 13 to save me the walk to the Gallagher Retail Park/Bus Station, then walked back to the flat.

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Friday, February 02, 2007

One week

The last day of the first week of 1500-2300 shifts... and somewhat bizarrely, I was locked out for the last 35 minutes... of my pc, I mean! I had came back from my beak, logged into my PC (Windows 2000), it came up with a bizarre un/pwd/domain box that we'd never seen before, so I was advised to reboot the pc... and then, locked myself out of the account... oh well, it happens... So, in the end, I did manage a full week... and stopped off for a bite to eat on the way home for something different...

On the way out of work, two different Forum members were driving each of the last buses from the Tech Park - one on the 76/73A (32477 - back in service at Arbroath, with windscreen replaced!), and one on the 29.

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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Start of a new month

I was starting to feel a little worn out by the end of tonight... and another Dundee depot bus on the way home, 33264 (ex 314) on the last 76. I got off at the High Street, and apparently the bus then headed back to the bus station to change drivers, before doing the usual and continuing as a 73A to Arbroath. Not sure if the bus would be changed too, but I was heading home. The email work is going very well!

From today, Traveline (including Traveline Scotland) has a new number - 0871 200 2233. This follows changes to the rules by OFCOM following a consultation. 0870 608 2 608 will still be active for another year to ease a gradual change-over. Think of how long it took to get a national number, and spread it around the uk... well now, it's time to do it all over again...

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