The secret to not hating your job is to work part-time, if you can afford it.

Only the rich can afford not to work and hence see their kids more often. But then again, they tend to pack them off to boarding school anyway!

TT riders simply have very high danger thresholds.
Brave? Well, I couldn’t do it, but I’d also say it’s selfish if you have a family and kids to support.
Most TT riders like Guy Martin admit it’s a selfish thing to do, esp compared to saving others peoples lives (and the fact that some accidents will hurt spectators).

Donor registered here, although they may not want the liver.
I’m a morbid bastard so have had a will since the age of 25 too.

They may not be broken, you will know in a couple of days or so, if the pain is still as bad, they are broke.

Hertford is nice but the traffic is hell, particularly from Hatfield.

Normally when I see these threads I think, if you double your original estimate you might be close. But those figures look pretty bang on to me.

@sobriety I hope you are right re Dunlop. I was surprised at how smooth his riding was on saturday, in contrast to a couple of years back.

It is ridiculously quick now, we will see a 135 at some point (not this week I think), but I can’t see how anyone can ride that course quicker than that.

The craziest thing in the world.

I think there is a good chance we will see a 134 lap on Friday, weather dependent. Perfect weather conditions so far which you only get at the TT once every ten years or so.
But I don’t think it will be Dunlop, who never looks in complete control to me, but Hutchy or McGuiness.

I was one of the first years to do SATS. They were an utter waste of time, infact that year I think the government pretty much told the teachers to ignore the results of them.
Exam times…takes me back.

We should have had a revolution about 10 years ago.
Keep your anger up, hopefully one will arrive soon, then it will be an asset.

Completely normal. BBs destroy your ability to exercise.
They shouldn’t be hard to come off, though. Many GPs prescribe them now instead of benzos as they are non-addictive.
See your GP, they might want to put on you an anti-depressant if the stress is still there, if the BBs are getting in the way of cycling.

Biggest sporting upset of all time.
Well done Leicester, especially Claudio Ranieri, who has mastered a way of playing which is difficult to counteract.
This was Spurs’ best opportunity to win the League, and I think next season will be a lot more competitive, so I don’t think they will have a shot at it again. Tottenham have thrown too many leads away, vs Arsenal, West Brom, and now Chelsea, it is hauntingly familiar as a long suffering fan.
But well done Leicester.

I invariably fall ill on Bank Holidays, but I’d rather be in bed with a cold watching the snooker than gridlocked on the M25.

What about Santa Cruz?

There is an inverted correlation between mountain biking and use of mountain bike forums.

Can I revise my comment to:
Doing a life hack, in a room with locks on the door.

Badnewz Bucket List

1. Never write a Bucket List.
End.

Doing a life hack.

@granny_ring, in a way you at least have the consolation of knocking Spurs off the top of the table. They were top for 14 mins after Kane put them in front in the N London derby, if Arsenal hadn’t equalised, I think Tottenham would have stayed top for the rest of the season.
We have a word at Tottenham, “Spursy”, which describes how I feel about losing winning positions against Arsenal and now West Brom.

I can tell you that the robot call centre rep is not far away at all. As in, actually replacing the person rather than the automated systems we have now.

That’ll cause a bit of an economic issue, I reckon.

Yes, a massive economic issue. And a political one.

There could be a smooth transition to a new type of economy, with a basic living wage to compensate for the unemployment technological automation brings.

Or there could be a reactive revolution with a lot of anger over job losses…
Pitchforks outside Google, lynchings on the lampposts of Palo Alto, only time will tell.

Technology is ultimately deflationary. Living costs should reduce over time.

Will technology disrupt housing? Could an innovative startup change the rules of the game? A lot of house owners are using Airbnb to make some extra money so they can pay their mortgage.

Very interesting article on Raneiri on the telegraph website. He is a highly skilled manager, and no doubt much of the credit is down to him.
Leicester aren’t just going to win the League, they are going to win it with at least 5 points over the 2nd placed side IMO.
Funny how we all thought they were relegation candidates at the start of the season.
The biggest sporting upset of my life so far.

For what it’s worth here is my take on things:

– weve been in a low productivity environment since the 1970s
– which has meant people have had to take on debt to maintain their living standards
– that has led to the “financialisation” of the economy – the growth of debt
– which came home to roost in the 2008 crisis
– since then, central banks have tried to encourage growth through “zombie” economic measures – ultra low IRs, QE
– this manifests itself in asset bubbles (dot come, sub-prime, now tech stocks)
BUT there is light at the end of the Tunnel:
– we are on the verge of a new technological/industrial revolution
– once this gets going, productivity will increase and the economy will be less reliant on debt
The big change will be the introduction of a basic living wage, as the technological growth will not by itself create new jobs to offset the ones lost to automation
Keynes looked forward to a life in which we only had to work 2 hours a day, and spent the rest of our time at the opera.
In other words, Maslow’s bottom hierarchy of needs will be taken care of by technological innovation.
So I think the outlook for the West is positive, but there will have to be significant political changes, not least the introduction of border controls to reduce mass immigration from the poor world to the rich world.
(The poor world will also eventually benefit from these innovations too)
So to paraphrase Sheridan, the Harry Enfield character, “I can’t wait for the future, beastlyness will come to an end, we will all get on swimmingly well, and I’m really looking forward to it).
The crucial factor is to not top yourself through despair in the meantime.

@Jimmy, if Leicester don’t win the title this weekend, then the Leicester vs Chelsea game is only going one way given the hatred between Chelsea and Spurs.
Tottenham had a chance but they made a mistake with trying to win the Europa Cup (they should have sabotaged it all before the Dortmant game, against fiorentina if not earlier would have helped).
Poch’s only mistake. He is now talking about PSG and as a Spurs fan this sounds all too familiar – another 5 years of “rebuilding” ahead of us!

Where I live, Hertfordshire, everyone is getting extensions done. That was a sign of a housing bubble last time round, although this time around, it might be motivated by the need to build an annex for the 30 year old kids.

If I lived in the SE and was only paid slightly more in ‘London Weighting’, had transferable skills and was being financially crippled by my mortgage, I’d seriously consider moving north if there was a similar job available and family circumstances allowed. The fresh air, natural trails and endless scenery are just a bonus.

I’m very jealous of a good friend, whose wife inherited a house in Scotland, where they now live with their two young kids.

The whole of the South East is rapidly turning into Greater London. It’s depressing.

The government want to promote the Northern Powerhouse idea to take some of the pressure off the South East, but in reality as long as 200k immigrants are moving to London each year (net), the problem of overpopulation is just going to get worse.

Very confused by my local market, houses are being put on way higher than recent sold prices and in guide bands e.g 200k-240k. Houses are selling in days, pretty despondent after 10 years of saving

Where in the UK are you? I think the London house price rises may now be filtering across the rest of the UK. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see this bubble bursting, I see it growing over the next five years.

The top end of London prices are falling, significantly so.
But I wouldn’t necessarily assume that will ripple through the system as a whole (although I’d rather it did do so).
Mainly because all governments will do whatever they can to keep the housing market going – as there is very little else to power the economy.
With negative interest rates on the horizon, housing may still be a decent investment. I often think the only thing that will stop central banks and politicians from stoking the housing market is some type of revolution, when people take to the streets and hit Westminster (which may not be so far off).
Sad state of affairs for anyone wanting to start a family in the South East.

Thank god he’s no Bashir

I will watch it.
I had a 14 hour binge drinking session on the weekend with some friends (stag do).
The affects have taken a good three days to pass. Not only my body, but my mind also felt absolutely screwed for a good 48 hours.
It is a poison.
Most heavy drinkers I know are depressive personalities and are drinking themselves to an early grave because it is, on the surface, a more socially acceptable form of suicide. I think Theroux mentioned something similar in an interview with the Telegraph yesterday, that alcoholics have underlying psychological or social problems, although I wouldn’t want to underestimate how it can grab you out of nowhere.

Look on the bright side – Spring won’t arrive till August.

Takes me back…all I remember is going up a mountain and coming down it, with beers at the end.

My advice would be to text her every ten minutes telling her how much you like her, it works every time!
Seriously, good luck, hope it works out.

@BigDave

Being self employed means that depression can really screw up my motivation which then has a significant affect on my productivity and earnings and this only makes the situation worse. Periods of depression completely knacker my ability to be a productive and focused person. I’m actually considering going back to working for an employer in order to bring some stability back into some areas of my life. I think stability is key for me when it comes to dealing with the black dog.

I know some people who choose to be self employed because of their depression, as it is very difficult to deal with in a full time, office based job, unless you have a really understanding employer. Being self employed (in some areas at least) people can take the time off to recover without HR breathing down their necks.

Last time I went to Minehead (well Blue Anchor bay which is nearby) I took the mtb and went out with a couple of guides. We did Minehead to Porlock (great views) then went inland, did Horners Woods / The Granny Run, then up and down Dunkery Beacon…reminds me how much fitter I used to be.

I remember Dome Watch on the Big Breakfast.
I would only go for a gig, visiting the place itself during the day is a pretty miserable experience.

Like someone on R4 said the other day – there is no other decade or period in human history that you’d rather be born in than right now.

I was born in 1981, and had rather grow up then, than now.

Will we ever seen an event so spectacular as Michael Jackson laying down the Moonwalk?

Seriously, the main issue we have in the UK is rising inequality. It’s getting to the point where a revolution could be on the cards, led by what remains of the middle-class as they see their prospects going down the pan like the working class before them.

She is most fair,
And when they see her pass
The poets’ ladies
Look no more in the glass
But after her.

On a bleak moor
Running under the moon
She lures a poet,
Once proud or happy, soon
Far from his door.

Beside a train,
Because they saw her go,
Or failed to see her,
Travellers and watchers know
Another pain.

The simple lack
Of her is more to me
Than others’ presence
Whether life splendid be
Or utter black.

I have not seen,
I have no news of her;
I can tell only
She is not here, but there
She might have been.

She is to be kissed
Only perhaps by me;
She may be seeking
Me and no other; she
may not exist.

Edward Thomas, The Unknown

Just up the road from me. I went last year for the third time. I’m no military historian but it still has enough to entertain for half a day.

Im already a miserable old sod at the age of 35 i dread to think what i will be like if i hit 70.