-I find the work demeaning, unchallenging and generally numbing. It makes me angry. Very, very angry.
-I’ve worked there for nearly a year, it’s getting to me, causing depression, lethargy, self-loathing etc etc.

This is entirely within your control… why not choose to respond differently?

I got signed off with stress once – nearly had a breakdown – because I was so negative about my job situation (which although it was crap, wasn’t really that bad).

I learned a valuable lesson then, not to let myself get so wound up about a job…

But at the same time, you do need to find a job that suits your ambitions, passion and skills. I would focus on finding and/or creating that job, you’ll give yourself hope for a better future….

I love the STW hive mind 🙂
Thanks Dez.

<at last I’ve found justification to be on STW in work time!>

Thanks. Looks like I need to download some software to do that (fine for personal use at home but work won’t let me do that…)
Anyone any ideas for getting round that?

If people think UKIP are a good idea then this country’s in trouble. They’re heading towards the extreme, which = dogma and anti-change, anti-immigration.

Right now, we need to be open-minded and progressive if we want to go forwards rather than backwards. I’ve never found being close-minded helpful in a crisis…

So if this means the UK electorate think UKIP represent their needs and the best way forward then maybe it’s time to leave 🙁

Same as that Mr Hawley,not bad ,just can’t get all the hype.

<Puts hands over ears and tries to pretend I never heard such sacrilege>

Supermarkets don’t help either. I mean it’s never hard to find the chocolate and crisps is it?

Endura 3/4 Thermolite Padded Bib-Knickers

I had a pair of these for 8 years – warm, cosy, keep you well-wrapped up and everything you’d ever need. I ripped them in a tarmac/body interface a couple of weeks ago but they’ll definitely be replaced.

Mr PotatoHead, you have a point that manufactured food is fundamentally unhealthy – I think this is well-known isn’t it?
But the healthy stuff is still available and in the same shops – you just have to pick up different things when you’re in there- it’s not like we have no choice…
And what I struggle with is the thought process of people like your colleagues, they know maccy D’s is fundamentally bad for them, but they still choose to eat it.
It’s like some mad suicide cult mindset – let’s ruin ourselves!

I’d like to see a week’s worth of healthy home-cooked food for a family of four priced against the cost of ready-made/junk food. I’ll be very surprised if the healthy comes out more expensive.

A 500g bag of brown rice is £3.50 and lasts me months, eating rice 2-4 times a week
A banana is 18p, apples and oranges c 50p. Choc bars are 60-70p
Tinned pilchards are 50p/tin
Cucumber, 75p
Bag of spinach, 1.50 for a week’s worth
6 free range eggs £1.50 (makes 3x 2-egg omlettes)

I think the ‘junk’ is cheap needs demonstrating as bunk. I think the real issue is people’s lack of confidence in making healthy food (although how you can lack the self-belief to cut up a cucumber, tomato and rinse some spinach leaves is beyond me…)

But what I really don’t get is the excuses and the resistance to being healthy. Why do people want to be ill?

MrMoofo, I agree, UK has much going for it. One of the freeest countries in the world for a start.
We need to recognise we’ve a lot of positives here, pull together and work towards the better future we want for ourselves – what our grandparents did, basically.

But you’re well OT – I’m the OP and my question was about health (obesity and drinking in particular), not the country in general…

As you were… 🙂

problem is though if you do want to get off your ass it costs.

Running is free!!!

You just move your legs faster…

I’ve never watched TOWIE so it my just be my middle-class prejudice coming through 😉 but I gather it’s one of those programmes about self-obsessed narcissists who want to be famous rather than earn a living doing something which adds any economic value…

<Dad mode on>

Now the main problem with this as a model for people to aspire to is IT’S JUST A TV PROGRAMME. For watching/for the production company to make money…

Not an aspiration for the rest of us.

Unfortunately I’m not sure many people understand this.

<Dad mode off>

its easier to let yourself get fat when everyone around you is too.

Quite a lot in this I would wager

I can’t remember where I read this but this is crucial to the current problem. People make relative judgements about themselves, rather than absolute.

Dr: you’re overweight and need to do something about it
Patient: but he’s way bigger than me so I must be ok
Dr: you’re still in poor health
Patient: but not as much as him, so what’s the problem…

With people at healthy weight now in a minority, I think this psychological/social relativism aspect is probably a massive (‘scuse the pun) barrier to resolving the problem…

This resistance to being healthy astounds me. Who wants to be ill?

Agree with focussing the day on job-hunting.
But use the flexibility you have time-wise to get yourself fit and improve your bike skills.
I was job hunting 2 years ago and did a lot of track training in the evenings to help my running, entered lots of races to give myself some focus and a sense of achievement.
And also taught myself to bunnyhop on flats for the first time in my life (aged 38) 🙂
It’s useful to remind yourself you can improve and learn new things…

I lived with a guy a few years ago who was a live sound engineer. For some big bands too – Nine Inch Nails, Lou Reed etc.

Now he wasn’t the most cheery person about life in general but he did say the music industry wasn’t the nicest to work in.

From what I could gather he was good at what he did (must’ve been to work with acts at that level) but he got thrown off a tour (can’t remember who, some Liverpool indie band) because the lead singer threw a paddy as he didn’t like the way he’d set the monitors up… obviously the ‘talent’ have the power. In ‘normal’ life that would be illegal…

So my recommendation would be to go and check it out yourself in your spare time and get talking to people who’ve been there and done it. Which I guess is why you’re on here!

I’m trying to make a big career change (aged 40 this year) too – so good luck 🙂

Flexibility and core strength help you whatever sport you participate in IME. But they help with climbing in particular. You should be letting your legs take the weight, not arms, so a strong core will help. And flexibility makes it easier to reach the best holds 🙂

I do 2-3 flexibility and core sessions a week as well as a stretch down session after every run and ride.

Cycling is known to tighten up hamstring and lower back in particular so if you ride 2-3 times a week, my view is that core and flexibility work is essential rather than an option…

I’d also recommend cross-training – swimming or running – to keep your muscle use balanced…

Curiosity meant I had to go and look up the Profanisaurus definition…

Glad you are (relatively) unhurt.
I can’t see how you’re liable for the repair. If the bike wasn’t put together properly by their mechanic it’s surely their responsibility…

A good shop would be apologising profusely and giving you your money back… and remembering that the way a mistake is handled can win a customer for life.

If they do otherwise I think you should name and shame so no-one else ends up like you or your cousin…

That trail doesn’t look like it’d be much fun on any bike!
I would vote for a Cotic Soul, cos I have one and really enjoy riding it on techy stuff.
Maybe a Dialled Alpine would suit too?

sadly modern life seems to make it easier for the rude, inconsiderate and ignorant to have an impact on other people…

all you can do is breathe and do yoga I’m afraid…

jump means no benefits
pushed may make it harder to get another job (although I don’t know legally what the old employer can tell the new one)

My godsons loved the zoo – they were c 2 and 4 at the time IIRC

I’m contracting. Not on that day rate but trust me, there’s no incentive to take a day off when you end up poorer at the end of the week…

You work as much as you can when you can, as you don’t know when the money will stop. You need that cash to live off until you get a new job…

On a club ride, no mudguards is discourteous.
On a commute, you simply choose not to ride behind someone without mudguards if it’s a wet road and you don’t want it in your face.

This guy was clearly an imbecile if he thought having a go at you was more effective than riding ahead or further behind, if he wanted to stay dry.

Not worth engaging with people like that IMO, they spoil your day. Dunning-Kruger effect springs to mind!

In some ways nowhere near what I wanted (reasonably successful career, married with kids, not got yet – 40 this year)

In other ways I’ve achieved more than I ever dreamed of, had some amazing experiences and been to some amazing places. It’s mainly my love of bikes and mountains which has taken me there.

Skydiving for 3 years was amazing, trip to Nepal gave some much-needed perspective as per Chilled76’s post, having 4 godsons is very rewarding and an obvious pointer to a more satisfying job.

I’m not quite sure where things have gone wrong with the career thing especially, probably just picked the wrong industry (financial services marketing), but am continuing to work on moving elsewhere on the basis that persistence will pay off eventually…

I do think the general culture of consumerism and entitlement is a massive barrier to happiness… Sherpas are a much smilier lot than the masses in Ikea at the weekend!

Not helpful for her to think falling on her own gear placement is an ok/routine thing to do. I wouldn’t encourage her to think it’s a consequence-free event. In fact it’s to be discouraged at all costs.

Too many stories of serious injury and death over the years when gear has come out…

Thanks for the thoughts above…

To be honest, if I was holding down my job I don’t think I’d have a problem that needed to be solved. I’m happy enough in myself and most things in life are ok. Some of the descriptions in the Baron-Cohen book are more extreme than I would apply to myself so I’m not sure a diagnosis would be positive in any case, but lack of confidence I can hold down a job is an increasing concern, not least in terms of financial security…

My work history is a mess. I’m contracting right now, partly because it’s easier to explain short stints… but that’s not a real solution.

Ostensibly I’m well qualified in Marketing – a degree + 2 post grad diplomas (2nd one I had the best mark in my class) I seem to impress at interview but don’t deliver to expectation on a day to day basis. I struggle to keep track in group conversations & meetings. Feedback I’ve had is that I’m too slow to get things done, focus on the detail, make things too complicated, don’t listen (I’m usually analysing what’s being said which means I lose track.)

Current situation is after 17 years of this and working my ass off to try make progress in my career/work through the issues, I’m getting nowhere. The crux is having been thrown out of 3 jobs without understanding what I did wrong, but a feeling that I didn’t fit and said the wrong thing to someone or said something in the wrong way…

I’ve always had a feeling I was ‘different’. I’m definitely an introvert (in an extrovert industry) and people who know me very well say my world is a wonderful one but rather unique…

Some people think I’m weird and I struggle in group situations to follow the conversation and always get the feeling there’s an unspoken conversation going on which I don’t understand.

If I’m in a situation where I choose the people I interact with and how and when I do it, can do it on a one to one basis and can choose my own workload and pace, then I can produce some really good work. But work life’s not like that IME… certainly none of my employers have been willing to give me that flexibility…

Getting a diagnosis would as much as anything help me frame and define my issues more specifically (as opposed to a general feeling of ‘getting it wrong’) and hopefully give me some support in how to deal with the typical office environment so I can hold a job down.

Edit: this whole answer is a typical response from me: detailed, thorough, well thought through, precise but taken an age to do it!

Those who compare Lance to other dopers, worth spending some time listening to the Radio 5 documentary for more background to the story…

He’s also being accused of more serious crimes than any of the others…

Radio 5 documentary

More than just doping

We just need to enforce current laws/made sentencing more severe. The sentence handed down to the guy who hit Mary Bowers is woefully inadequate, especially if, as per what the doctors expect, she dies… surely it then becomes manslaughter?

It seems these days that right of way is irrelevant in most peoples’ minds. Maybe just a London thing because traffic is so heavy, but no-one waits behind parked cars or buses, just pull out and keep going towards the oncoming traffic, same with 30mph limits, and now the de rigeur way of of dealing with traffic on the main road when coming in from a side road seems to be stick your nose into it and bully your way in! Has no-one heard of waiting until there’s a gap?!

There’s no cop cars around anymore and I think people are realising they can get away with pretty any crap driving they feel like… bit like when the teacher was out of the room…

That’s not a bad time at all if you’re new to running. And your weight is a lot more than most runners would be carrying.
Keep it up and good luck 🙂

Not sure why Landis [ who did exactly what LA did – cheat and lie] should benefit from any of this

I think the argument for this is that it encourages whistleblowing. And if Landis getting a reward means Lance is brought down then justice is seen to be done… there is a significant difference to the magnitudes of what they did after all…

I agree, it doesn’t seem ideal but you can’t disagree with the potential final outcome…

At the end of a flowing bit of woodsy singletrack when I want to shout whoo-hoo at the top of my lungs out of sheer joy.
No other moment in life makes me want to do that

Somewhat niche

Based on what I’ve read (which may or may not be an accurate representation of the facts) it seems like the guy parking up made a stupid decision and the guy driving was going too fast.

Which reflects my day to day experience as a pedestrian, driver and cyclist, the ability to drive responsibly with proper risk assessment and within the law, seems to be right off the agenda and badly needs sorting out.

Is it only me that thinks yes it was close but no one was hurt so it doesn’t really matter???

How happy would you be if someone you loved got taken out by a Police driver next week in a similar move.

And you found out it was the same driver?

I don’t beleaf it!

So, remind me how the UK got to be the fattest country in Europe?

Is it really a good idea to post that under the circumstances?

There’s a simple test for Parisian Mad Horse Disease.
If it jumps in the river it must be in-seine

I thank you.

British Mountaineering Council position on 3 Peaks Challenge

Can’t find the previous STW thread on this but here’s the BMC’s message

<pops off to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and grab some biscuits>