Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

[Tiplodocus]

Can't find Insurance documents for teh Green Dragon and it needs it's tax doing tomorrow.

[Tiplodocus]

3 hours and 10 minutes into KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and I discover that the digibox hasn't taped the whole film. (Someone probably unplugged it).

I'd never seen it before and was quite enjoying it - directors cut with overture and intermission, Orlando bloom in typical understated (or is that wooden?) mode and some brief but spectacular action sequences.  Eva Green looking to die for and Michael Sheen being brilliant with a fantastic end. 

I take it he loses Jerusalem but what happens next...

[Tiplodocus]

gAH!  My nice Arran malt is ever so slightly spoilt by the fact it's in a chipped glass. One of our nice crystal ones too.

[Tiplodocus]

Actually KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - don't tell me the end but please tell me who was behind the mask of Baldwin the Leper king?

[Mike Gloady]

I know, the environmental impact of unnecessary garbage is huge, but still - the impact on the workforce having their jobs de-skilled systematically in order to ensure they're not worth paying properly is the real deal.  That disempowers the staff and makes them less likely to be paying attention to either customer service OR considerations like the environment.  The firm is the enemy, not the poor sap behind the till or flipping the burger.

Or maybe, just maybe I've thought about this too much.

[I, Cosh]

Me and Sam just walked back home via the town centre. He wanted a cheeseburger from MacDonalds so we popped in. I asked for two and said don't bother with a bag as we'll take them in just the wrapper. The lass turned around, picked up two cheeseburgers and (yes you know what's coming next) placed them into a brown bag.

What is the FUCKING point

Tomorrow, go into MacDonalds. Ask for a regular Big Mac meal with Fanta. Now stand back and wait for them to ask whether you want to go large and what drink do you want with that. I've never worked in one, but I always assumed they just have the sequence of questions and button presses drilled into them at the start and told never to deviate or you might get something wrong.

Very annoying though.

That's a bit shit about Tips' daughter's flat.

[House of Usher]

Yes it's true, Mike. There's always middle class high-consumers telling us to do our bit for the environment by refusing carrier bags and other bits of tat packaging while they peruse the travel brochures for environmentally sustainable low-impact tropical scuba-diving holidays.

My current job relies quite heavily upon teaching staff doing unpaid work in their own time. I currently teach a course with three empty student places and a waiting list of about 7 prospective students. We also have a salaried admin staff, on premises 12 hours a day (shift changeovers intervene, but there's always someone there), whose job isn't to contact waiting students and fit them onto courses with vacancies.

That's the job of the course tutor who is expected to phone those prospective students in the coffee breaks during classes or the turnaround portion between classes that's also for scheduled breaks, photocopying, tidying up, switching lessons, paperwork, pastoral business and going to the lavatory.

Consequently, new students get signed up to fill gaps only if time permits and the student happens to be in, or it's possible to leave a voice message, during the interval it's possible to make phonecalls. If this time can't be found or made, then one tries again the next day or the whole business has to wait another week. I don't really want to be phoning prospective students at home on my day off!

Fortunately I have a class tomorrow that involves 40 minutes of writing in silence. An opportunity presents itself at last, I think.

[TordelBack]

I've never worked in one, but I always assumed they just have the sequence of questions and button presses drilled into them at the start and told never to deviate or you might get something wrong.

I have, long ago and mercifully briefly, and that was precisely how it worked then at least. You literally had to stop thinking and just become a cog - I couldn't hack it, even though my front-of-house time was minimal.   

I subsequently took another high-turnover food-service job with considerable trepidation, but after a steep initiation process I absolutely loved it, did it for 5 years and wouldn't mind going back. Reason?  We were encouraged to interact with the customers and and our co-workers, and as a result the hours flew by.  And it paid nearly twice as much as MD's, I might add. 

[SuperSurfer]

In my experience, ordering food from fast 'food' joints is akin to ordering from a vending machine. The staff can be like robots who seem to expect you to order the same food and drinks as everyone else. Can't remember the last time I went to MacDonalds. I last went to KFC six years ago (out of desperation) and to Subway a few years ago. In both cases I tried to order without a fizzy drink and the staff virtually short-circuited. To think, there are weirdos out there who don't drink fizzy drinks.

In the last few years I pretty much gave my life savings to Pret A Manger. I really like their food, excellent coffee and staff are friendly (bit too friendly actually as one was hitting on me last year so I never went to that branch again). But it turns out that their grub is not as healthy as they make out, as some of it is jam packed with salt.

[Trout]

Mmm... jam.

Anyway, today I spent half the morning shifting furniture around, in preparation for building my daughter's new bed.
I cleared out most of her bedroom, bringing her old bed (a cot bed) downstairs, ready for a new mattress and the new baby. Then I gave her room a good hoover, and lugged the giant flat-pack boxes of new bed bits upstairs.

But guess what? The new bed had a big gouge out of it, near where her head will be. It's bad enough to be a safety issue - it would scratch her - never mind the fact it's horribly ruined. So I had to repack the new bed, shift the boxes back downstairs, and bring the old bed back up.

Now my back's killing me and I'm knackered. I've achieved nothing for all my sweaty efforts. A replacement's coming on Saturday, so that's my weekend shafted.

Bah.

[Peter Wolf]

In my experience, ordering food from fast 'food' joints is akin to ordering from a vending machine. The staff can be like robots who seem to expect you to order the same food and drinks as everyone else. Can't remember the last time I went to MacDonalds. I last went to KFC six years ago (out of desperation) and to Subway a few years ago. In both cases I tried to order without a fizzy drink and the staff virtually short-circuited. To think, there are weirdos out there who don't drink fizzy drinks.

In the last few years I pretty much gave my life savings to Pret A Manger. I really like their food, excellent coffee and staff are friendly (bit too friendly actually as one was hitting on me last year so I never went to that branch again). But it turns out that their grub is not as healthy as they make out, as some of it is jam packed with salt.

I have been going to BK lately but only because i have got a load of 2 for one vouchers plus the fact that they do Aberdeen Angus beef otherwise i wouldnt eat there.

I called in last week to get 2 double Angus burgers and when i got home they were both singles so half my dinner was missing.3 times i stressed that i was paying for doubles and not singles but they still get it wrong.

This was caused by a language barrier.I only talk English and dont see why i need to be fluent in half a dozen languages just to order a take out meal.They are in the UK so speak English.




I always have no bacon either and they always get that right.



I admit that this was a one off though and i have never had the problem with fizzy drinks in either BK or Subway.They usually just ask if i want any drink with it and i always say no thanks.The staff in BK are usually pretty good in my local BK joint.All their packaging is cardboard as well.No polystyrene

This "would you like fries with that ?" has always been a joke with Mcdonalds and you used to be able to buy a Tshirt with "If i want fries i will fucking ask for them !"

[TordelBack]

Now my back's killing me and I'm knackered. I've achieved nothing for all my sweaty efforts. A replacement's coming on Saturday, so that's my weekend shafted.

I feel your pain, yer Maj.  I've spent almost all my alleged free time moving stuff (i.e. comics, books, files and Star Wars crapola) around to create space for our recent arrival, who's currently in residence in our bedroom but won't be forever.  We are one room short, and unfortunately the child who's going to lose it out is me.

I put it in boxes, I stack it in neat piles, I squeeze it onto shelves, I take it out to the shed, I try to force it into the attic, I bring it all back where it came from and look at it again, but it never seems to do any good.  

I know the bible has something to say on the subject of putting away childish things, but it's frustratingly silent on where.

[Dandontdare]

I always have no bacon either and they always get that right.

The BASTARDS! 

Tomorrow, go into MacDonalds. Ask for a regular Big Mac meal with Fanta. Now stand back and wait for them to ask whether you want to go large and what drink do you want with that.

True - try going into subway and asking for a Bacon, lettuce & tomato WITH NO CHEESE - they still ask you if you want cheese. There's a big difference between following a script they've been ordered to and just plain not listening. One deserves sympathy the other contempt.

[Bolt-01]

... the gas (I presume) in the lever that holds the boot hatch open on the not-so mighty Bolt-mobile has given up so the flipping thing is going to be dropping on my head all the time when I'm loading for the weekend.

... I've got a bitch of a cough/sore throat! Typical.

... Zarjaz has sold so well on pre-order that I don't think I've enough for the con and not enough time to get more done! First come first served!

[Roger Godpleton]

Someone has stolen the toothpaste.