Just got some Timberland Earthkeepers and they are really good. I have been a Timberland fan for years, they last for a very long time and geep your feet warm and dry. What more could one ask?

Oh, I suppose they could be cheaper.

By Year and then month and then special things within the month like weddings or holidays. Easier to do it as you go along.

I’m considering some studded tyres though I got through the Danish winter last year on Conti city contacts.

Can’t decide which studded tyres to go for and they are not cheap.

I am really happy with my Rapha softshell although it’s not very packable.

There are really 2 different things

A packable rain jacket to keep dry
A windproof winter jacket to keep warm and dry (ish)

I know they get a slating here, but I really think Rapha stuff is very good and as everyone else puts up their prices, it doesn’t even seem crazy expensive any more.

I have heard fantastic reviews of the Gore Fusion jacket as well.

I asked my friend who is a pro sports photographer and he recommended the Nikon D10* at the time, but his general advice was to get the best nikon you could afford at the point when you buy it. Have a look around for the previous model year stuff. I think I got mine more or less half price from amazon becuase there was a newer model out.

*May not be a D10 😳

I’ll be brave here and admit that I have an Mdot tattoo on my right ankle. I did an ironman in 2004 and it took me about 3 years to train for it. I finished in 12 hours which was slightly dissapointing becuase I hoped to do it in 11 after completing a tought half distance in under 5 hours.

Anyway, it was very very tough and I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t do another becuase I was moving to e new country and changing jobs and my life was moving on. I think I got the tattoo mostly because my friends in the tri-club got them too and it did feel like a pretty significant achievement at the time. Now it is just something on my leg that I don’t think about but I am proud that I did it and I don’t really care if some of you think that makes me a saddo.

If you’ve done IM in a reasonable time and still think it’s not an achievement, then hats off to you.

Finally, you can’t generalise about all triathletes abilities on a bike, there are some great cyclists amongst them, there just happen to be some (rather vocal and obvious) idiots too.

Bin it. They won’t bother chasing you.

When I lived in France I collected parking tickets. I parked in a residents only street outside my house for a whole year, the traffic warden gave up writig tickets after the first month 😈

part time then innit 🙂

How many people are considering leaving FB as a result of this thread?

I am VERY careful about what I put up there, but it seems that you may be responsible for what you’re friends say and think as well…

I’ll think about it for 24 hours, but at the moment, I suspect I am going to delete my account (and twitter too)

for some people, me time is essential to avoid going mad. That is what my therapist told me! (not joking)

I am not critical of teachers, I just don’t think you’re going to find that you have a lot more free time working in a “normal” job. If you want to work 9-5 without overtime then you are going to be in something that is very routine (exactly what you say you hate)

There must be option in teaching to get what you want (you didn’t say you hate teaching), maybe you need to be creative to find them

How about teaching handicapped kids or getting ajob at a boarding school as a house master or an international school in another country…

Try another school?

Seems to me that there are some right idiots in the teaching world (both parents were teachers) so look around to see if there is a better school or work hard to get yourself in a situation where you can change things by becoming a department head or similar.

My mum move more into the partoral stuff to change her focus and found it very rewarding.

To be honest, if you don’t have enough time for your family as a teacher, then I suspect you’ll need to go part time to make a significant difference.

Taxes

I was tought how to cook a bit, wire a plug and iron a shirt and how to ride a bike safely (Cycling proficiency anyone?)

I think Priests have bigger lies and are statistically speaking, more likely to sexually abuse boys.

We looked at one in the garage, I opened the boot and banged my head on the door which opened to be about an inch lower than I am tall (about 6’3″) and that was it, I couldn’t consider it after that because I would bang my head all the time and quickly grow to hate it. We bought a Mazda 6 (last shape) in the end and can’t fault it at all.

Probably not.

Ton – the problem would have been worse if you were 2½ stone heavier. What you did was still good 🙂

Lottery = tax on optomism (or stupidity depending on the day I am having)

IF techy IT consultants had the nerve to speak to each other and were able to communicate like normal human beings, there would be a considerable reduction in the need for project managers. We just act as a human interface between nerds and the rest of the world.

Everyone thinks that the hourly rate for IT consultants is massively inflated. It isn’t.

I suspect it was more the fault of the 4 year old who should have stopped the little one as well.

Anyway, I would think that no TV for a week would be a start and then make them clean it off next weekend somehow unless that will be a lot fo fun for them.

Otherwise make them sleep in the shed for a week 😈

I have one and it seems to help a bit, but it’s not going to get you out of a rut or anything. I find it is nice to have on the desk when I am working at home but I don’t think it has kept the winter depression at bay but it may have reduced the severity a bit.

Perhaps I need to get into the habit of using it for a set period every day.

The UK is seen to be in a bad situation and the status in Greece, Ireland etc has been common knowledge for a while. If anything, sorting out the Irish siuation as is on the cards at the moment may even strengthen the Euro.

I don’t think anything much is going to change dramatically until UK, Europe or US make a move either out of or back into recession

Bugaboo Chameleon (or Frog if you want a save a few quid)

May be a cliche, but it is reallt good, light manouverable (?) very hard wearing (our has done 2 kids and still shows little wear or tear) Good off road and in the shops, fits into any old car, take it on the plane or wherever you want to go. I really couldn’t recomend it enough.

Thread closed 🙂

There has been plenty of general hinting within the family about the Dr thing but he is convinced that it is OK and (more worryingly) seems to think that he deserves it.

Not really my problem thankfully, just confirms my opinion really.

Seeing the comment above, I am reminded that I am actually ARSM. Sounds a bit like arse dunnit? 😀

BTW I got the MIB at Grenoble Graduate School of Business in the heart of the French Alps. It was hard work spending 1½ years there in my late 20s 😉

I checked out the situation with my relative to see if he was heading for a fall (mostly so I could laugh at him) but it appears that Dentist, chiropractors and one more could call themselves Doctor if they wanted to. That was according to Wikipedia anyway.

I still think that changing your credit cards to call yourelf doctor is a step too far though

I am seriously considering it.

If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you lot who have had it done and do you have any kids?

Toilet duck and a brush?

Meh

Once you’ve tried 29er, there’s no going back 🙂

A memeber of my family is a chiropractor and has changed all his details to call himself doctor. I personally think that is totally and utterly unacceptable because he isn’t a doctor and doesn’t hold a phd but I am told that he is allowed to. Are there any other self proclaimed Drs on here?

Oddjob B.Eng (Hons) MRSM MIB (I think)

MIB = Master of International Business (kind of an MBA thing)

I’m only just 36 muddy!

I was always envious of some of the people who were awareded a LImp Dic after their names when I was at Imperial College.

I am allowed to use MIB which I think is funny, but I never ever ever do

Those are the unforgiving bathroom lights that started the whole thing. 😐

I suppose I can’t expect an opinion without a picture

Now I want to go for the freak with a combover look 😈

If it hadn’t been snowing all day, i wouldn’t hesitate, but it’s bloomin’ freezin’ out.

I’m due a hair cut next week so I’ll go even shorter than normal and see how it is. Maybe the one after will be #1 all over.

I would agree, but I suppose I’ve been anticipating it for years. The fact that MrsOJ thinks it’s OK makes me feel a bit better about it.

Quite like dell too, but I think the (formerly IBM) ThinkPads seems to be really solid and reliable if someone else is paying.

All reality TV shows are crap. FACT

I mean X factor, the apprentice, I’m a cock get me out of here and so on if there is any doubt!

I find excel to be as good as anything and really I like to do the high level stuff in powerpoint becuase it is so easy to shift stuff around and give a simple overview.

I think there can be a lot of time wasted on project plans which nobody ever looks at in detail anyway.

Lordy 😯