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I feels ya, Vince. A knee injury* a few years ago has put paid to rather a lot of my mobility. Nothing as bad as other folk, sure, but on a personal level I've lost some ability I took for granted. The wolves would pick me off as a straggler.
*"I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee..."[/color]

Thanks Funt, if you and I were running from wolves, it would be the slowest (but probably most comic) chase of all time.
Probably wouldn't get eaten as the wolves would be pissing themselves laughing.
"Come on guys, get some speed on, you're taking the piss!"
"FFS Nigel, these guys are pathetic, let's go raid the pensioner village. Sure, it'll taste like blue rinse and cabbage, but at least there'll be a little sport!"

Nearly two years ago, I sprained my ankle at a work retreat (we were playing team games and I was very committed to winning*). Since then, it hasn't quite healed and keeps playing up every now and then.

So when my daughter talked to me earlier this year about doing the Tongariro crossing again, I figured I had the year to train and get in shape.
For context, the last time we did it, (according to my Fitbit) it was 43,000 steps and 330 flights of stairs.
Everything was going well until I started adding weight to a pack for my training and blew my ankle out again.
It's been giving me severe grief for the last two months and refusing to settle down.

The doctor last month gave me prednisone to get the inflammation down but the list of side-affects is as long as your arm (muscle weakness, weight gain, psychosis etc).
And hyeractivity as well. The first couple of days I was taking it, I either stayed awake until 2am or slept normally till 2am and the awake and wired.
I spent most of that time awake thinking of anagrams for prednisone:
   "Penis drone" &
   "Dr One Penis" was about all I could come up with, so that awake time wasn't particularly productive.
Although "Dr One Penis" implied the possibility of there being some doctors with more than one penis.

On the plus side, the swelling and pain subsided and the ankle started feeling normal again. I finished the prednisone last Thursday and then promptly stepped in a *&^$#%* hole and twisted my ankle again.

I've got 8 weeks before we're scheduled to go for our tramp, I'm seriously worried I won't be able to do it.


*We did win, but at what cost?

Not me, but this is what Tongariro looks like -

And I'm sure Donald Trump will be using this photo for ages.  It's almost Iwo Jima-like.

That is going to be the photo that wins him the election.

The whole thing is a clusterfark of disappointment. On one hand, I am disappointed with the aim of the shooter. On the other, had they succeeded, I imagine the alt-right would have gone feral and that there would be violence across the US.
That Trump got hit but not killed now proves to his followers that he is a martyr and was right all along.
And the conspiracy theories coming out about it just seem to further entrench his cult.
Tough times in the US for the coming year next few generations.

'Tjm' is an anagram of 'fish' and his teapot is very disappointed in him.

[Bullet in the Head (1990)]

Bullet in the Head (1990)

John Woo's masterpiece (probably). 

A relentless assault of a film - just astonishing.

I like John Woo, but every time... I mean I get it, Mr Woo, but not everyone has Ornithophilia.

(And don't get me started on Tarantino and his foot fetish)

Sorry, was triggered by memories of directors and their weird proclivities. John Woo has done a number of B+ and A- movies which would be better without unnecessarily shoe-horning in a dove scene.

You know what I watched recently? Furiosa.
What does Furiosa have? Cars, guns and explosions.
You know what Furiosa doesn't have? Fricking birds!
Sorry John Woo.
Mind you, it probably does have a lot of dirty, bare feet, so I guess Tarantino would be happy with it.

It's 6:00am here, I think it's time for a coffee and some of those little pills my wife says calm me down.

Louisiana orders every classroom to display Ten Commandments

Holy shit!

Well, Jesus fucking Christ...

In an slightly old counterpoint: Suspect accused of destroying Satanic display at Iowa Capitol charged with hate crime

Thanks guys, I've really been cheered up by the banter. It's been a hard week and you guys have all come together and pulled me up.

Vince Carry?

You guys have nailed it.
I shall henceforth go by my one and true name: Carry Polar.

As seen in niche indie adult movies online.

I've heard of this happening - absolutely disgraceful.  Surely there are laws against this kind of thing? Probably not, of course.

I'm no Sherlock Holmes, btw, but I'm about 95% sure I've worked out Vince's surname, by Cross-examining the evidence he has presented.

Hahaha. SherlockB.Christ just reminded me of a joke I heard recently.

If you're every accosted by a wild animal with a gun (bear with me) and you're only able to ask for help by sending updates on social media (bear with me), then you need to be very careful and insert coded messages (BEAR WITH ME) into the text.

Hey AV

I love the idea that your actual name is Angry Vince.

Actually not far from the truth... my last name is a synonym for angry.
And I have a resting asshole face, so there's that too.

Recently was asked to apply for a job. This is not unique but normally they are weirdly tangential to my skill set ("Hey AV, we know you love supply chain in the food industry, how would you like to be a timber salesman?").
This (almost) most recent one was in my wheelhouse though, good company, right role, right money.
Two interviews go well and I'm invited to a third which should be the last.
A day before the last one, I'm told that it is going to be rescheduled. Not an issue, as the interviewer travels a lot.
Then radio silence for a week.
I email and ask for an update, get told something about them rescoping or reviewing their needs.
Silence for another week.
Obviously not good signs.
After another week, I know I'm not getting the job. I ring them up and leave a voicemail asking for an update.
They called me back yesterday. 
No, I didn't get the job.
After a bit of back and forth, I'm told that there were 320 applicants plus me. They thought I was a great fit and were ready to offer me the job at the third interview but two days before, someone they had worked with mentioned he was looking for a new job. They had a chat, cancelled my interview and offered him the job instead.
So I beat all 320 applicants in a job which I was asked to apply for and lost it to someone who didn't even apply.

In fairness, that's only the second-worst interview experience in the last six months. At least I didn't get PTSD during an interview this time.

Linguist's corner: article contains word "contumelious".

My new favourite word (after obstreperous)

Thanks for explaining Funt. It makes way to much sense.

Now, I would like to say, as a right-leaning kiwi*: Fuck Trump and tricycle he rode in on. If narcassism had a colour, it would be orange. The election this year is likely to be a freaking shit show.


*in fairness, a right-leaning kiwi is usually very left of a left-leading American.

It's been a while, so I can't remember the forum rules around politics and swearing. In fairness though, the guy is a prolapsed anus with an orange tan, so I'll let my comment stand until told otherwise.

Thanks for explaining Funt. It makes way to much sense.

Now, I would like to say, as a right-leaning kiwi*: Fuck Trump and tricycle he rode in on. If narcassism had a colour, it would be orange. The election this year is likely to be a freaking shit show.


*in fairness, a right-leaning kiwi is usually very left of a left-leading American.

Louis Gossett Jr.
Oscar & Emmy winner for An Officer & A Gentleman and Roots.
Also in Enemy Mine which this young Sci-fi fan thought was underated. And the Watchmen series which was bloody good.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/29/entertainment/louis-gossett-jr-death/index.html