The Official Nonsense Thread

[Minty]

I had them literally hammering at the door. I was determined I wasn't going to be spending the night taking down the heavy winter curtain off the front door in order to open it over & over. First they rang the bell. When it elicited no response, they banged the door. Not chapped it, BANGED it. Upon that failing it was bang the door & ring the bell as if their lives depended on it.

Any feelings of guilt evaporated when I looked out the top window to see it was two local mothers from down the road with their brats who were making that racket. If anyone had done that to their doors, they'd never hear the last of it.

It's very bright during the day up here, but damn cold at night. No cloud cover so any heat accumulated during the day is all gone by six. Already beginning to feel the winter dopiness starting to come on.

[Caspin]

When my brother and I were kids, my mum would take us trick-or-treating by appointment only. That way we didn't bother anyone who wanted to be left alone. Even if only my grandparents agreed, we still enjoyed dressing up (how I wish I still fitted in that most excellent black cape with a shiny red lining!) and obviously being given a heap of sweets is never a disappointing end to any evening. In the neighbourhood where I live now, the kids troop round but only visit houses that have put out a pumpkin or decorated in some way to indicate willingness to participate. They go round early as well, so usually I end up handing out sweets on the way home from work and never have to worry about the doorbell ringing.

I hope there are no dents in your door, Minty. Now that's over, you can brace yourself for the teenagers demanding not so much pennies as pounds for their Guy next week.

It's so strange. As everyone else starts to get winter dopiness (aw!) and complain about how dark it is, I feel better and more alert than I do all year. I have anti-SAD for sure.

[Minty]

This is going to set the cat amongst the pigeons!

Bush knew where to find Bin Laden back in 2003 & did nothing

Guy is going to court to claim the $25 million he says he's owed for correctly telling the US authorities exactly where to find him only for them to do nothing until Obama got in.

So Michael Moore's claims about the Bush & Bin Laden families being in cahoots may have been right after all

[Caspin]

Not on his watch, eh?

After the success of Minty's rum-cask beer recommendation, here is another rum-cask delight. Had some last night and it was really nice. Maybe all drinks should be put through rum casks!

[Minty]

Yum!

Haud the bus on that guy looking for $25 million for finding Bin Laden, according to his local rag, he's got "previous".

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michi...e_tol.html

"Lee, an international gem merchant who frequently traveled in the Middle East... Lee, who claims to have provided the U.S. government with intelligence information on previous occasions, said the lack of action surprised him."

“For 20 years I was used to the government acting immediately on my intelligence,” he said."

Why doesn't he simply tattoo KILL ME on his forehead? He's going to get blamed for every US operation out in the Middle East over the last two decades that's left anyone remotely cross (including a little business in Somalia). Sounds like this guy is exaggerating to the Nth, but it might cost him his life in the process.

Any jihadist only has to kill him & claim "we've got the guy that killed Bin Laden!" to be made heroes back in their home turf. Everyone will believe them, after all, it is all over the American newspapers he's the guy suing the US government over it.

There's also an interesting post in the comments section:-
"I knew Tom Lee many years ago and apparently he hasn't changed. Jim Harger should be ashamed for offering him a soapbox. Mlive should consider changing its name to Weekly World News."

[Ollie]

ARGGHHHHH! Why does the dark knight trilogy's soundtrack keep appearing on Sunday Night I mean sixty minutes (although I think I've heard it on both shows)?

Wait now I think I'm hearing Inceptions, it's so good!

[Minty]

Sorry about going quiet over the weekend people, but a buggerload of promising jobs appeared on Friday & I wanted to get through applying to the lot of them. On top of that, a former employer whom I left on bad terms some years ago got back in touch as they still had my details & "are you interested in a job we have coming up?" I did a phone interview with them (where to be honest I wasn't exactly Mr Friendly) & much to my surprise am through to the second (face-to-face, or in my book, the REAL interview) tomorrow morning.

Did some checking up on what's happening there, & it seems a previous chicken I'd warned them about has come home to roost. They were employing far too many students living in digs in my book (most of whom were malingering groovy funkers who spent more times looking for ways to skive or doing their college work than doing the jobs they were paid to do) in order to keep wages low (ie. they'd be in for one to three years at most, often part-time, so any pay rises would be next to non-existent in terms of cost).

All too often the work wasn't getting done & the regulars were having to pick up the slack. All too often as well, the students being employed were "eye candy" for lecherous saddos in middle management (male & female), the students knew it, & swung the lead accordingly.

However, there's been that many dropouts from the local unis already this year they're losing these people faster than they can replace them, so before having to spend money on recruitment they're scrabbling through their database giving it "hello old pal!" to ex-employees like me they pissed off enough to cause to go elsewhere.

Quite aside from this being well over 5 years ago & they shouldn't have that data readily to hand anyway (Should they? Caspin, you're the IT expert here - is what they did getting back in touch with me using old employment records for recruitment legit?), I'm wary about going back if offered to what turned out to be a shower of real s**ts.

On the other hand, I'm fed up with living off dole & savings to the point of insanity, AND the job is in a different department to the one I was in (something which makes me suspect that it smacks of "you were right & you were a good employee, but we're not going to admit we f**ked up!"). So if offered, I'll take it with gritted teeth. That's two more long running shops locally now closing down, along with one of the banks shutting a branch. Things aren't getting anywhere near better, this could be as near as it gets to a lucky break for a long while yet.

[Caspin]

Me, an IT expert? That would make some folk chuckle! I think that most companies do retain that kind of data for ages and, although I don't know exactly what the data protection laws are regarding ex-personnel data, I don't find it surprising that they still have your records. Where I work we keep stuff for a looooooong time. Clearly they've got themselves into a pickle and are trying to get back some good solid employees, which is quite handy since you are in need of an employer. I hope the interview goes well. You can always just use it to get back on your feet and then keep looking for something better.

Fingers crossed for you, Minty, as always!

Good to see that Ollie is still moderately obsessed with the Dark Knight!

Edit: I did some mild googling and found this link. It would seem that employers are expected to keep your records for about six years after you leave the company, although some may keep them for longer if they feel they have a case for doing so.

[Minty]

The interview went - - - - - who am I trying to kid in trying to fathom how it went. Plastic face smiles all round, predictable questions, predictable "you'll hear from us in due course" which really means you won't unless they want you. I've given up trying to predict what the outcome will ever be.

Don't think I'll be applying for this job I saw today!




"Mutilated sales executive"?

Emos only need apply I suppose?

[Caspin]

Mutilated?!

Some kind of hideous search-and-replace or autocorrect error I suppose.

I would like to read the applications for that job. I wonder what people will put forward as suitable experience or qualifications! "Well in my last job I frequently got paper cuts and once I quite seriously injured myself with a stapler". The mind boggles. Poor "Sandra" will be getting some interesting calls.

I'm sorry you had to go through such a plastic interview, Minty.