B….r me!, that's miles away, maybe not then.

'I feel that I want to educate and hopefully make a difference but with people who want to learn and not just to a bunch of teens that don't really want to be there.'

This unfortunately can be the case with lots of them. EMA payments don't help matters and the fact that parents can claim child benefit if little Jimmy is in fulltime education is also a factor.
The introduction of the 14-19 diplomas means you probably will be teaching school kids anyway.

It can however be pretty rewarding teaching the more eager students and the more mature ones.

Also depends on the subject you intend to teach, and the type of students the subject attracts.

Wages aren't great, but not that bad either depending what you're used to. Loads of holiday too, including xmas and bank holidays i'm getting 49 days this year.

Loads of unnecessary paperwork and all the internal politics from working in a large corporation. Un-realistic targets and a LOT of importance placed on the money side of things.

We get a pretty high turnover of staff, not so much in the lecturing side, but the support staff.

Don't know if that's a help or scary sounding. It can't be that bad or i wouldn't have lasted 6 years so far 😕

Where the hell is Rowberrow? Never heard of it. 😯

Feeling a bit guilty about this one at the moment. I almost always use my LBS, ride with them regularly, know them reasonably well and get a fair few bits from them and a bit of free maintanance when i need some.

BUT, i'm getting them to build my new bike tomorrow that i bought in bits from ebay, classifieds, wiggle, chainreaction etc, and not from them. I would have loved to have helped them out and spent my money with them, but price wise i couldn't afford to. The money i'll be charged to get it built will be covered in the savings on the chainset alone. I'd have had to down spec loads of components to have met my budget (and i've stretched that a fair bit already – don't tell the misses).

Would liked to have built it myself, but time, decorating new house, babysitting, lack of garage, tools and skill have ruled this out.

Is there a Sunday jaunt this weekend as well as Saturday? May be able to do Sunday as i can't do Saturday.

The ability to hold a conversation and get up in the morning would be useful. These skills seem to have escaped a fair few of the lads i teach in FE. Not to spit in the street and to use bins voluntarily might be an idea too.

My BMC is finally getting built this week, shall i put my forks on backwards as a sign of support for the team? 🙂

The brakes are worse than the tyres…just. Wouldn't mind the seat.

Hardly worth selling it for that, looks like it will go in the loft then.

Whilst on the subject, how much would my old Olympus OM10 be worth, with a telephoto, 2x converter and bag etc?

She will be new to digital but has a fair bit of experience with film. I think she wasted a lot of her college and uni years being arty. We had to sell and give away her old camera collection the other year, loads of old fashioned stuff like super 8 cameras and box brownies.

Mind you she's due to drop rusty jr.2 in February so god knows when she thinks she'll have time to take photos. 🙂

To be fair buzz, i saw the show 5 or 6 years ago in Toronto and enjoyed it. But i was subjected to the soundtrack half a dozen times by my 10 year old niece on Sunday and am fed up with bloo** abba.

Just had 2 days of birthday merryment with my little girl.
Xmas is nearly here, so 2 weeks off work.
Term ends on the 18th, so 3 weeks with no students.
I've got all the parts for my new bike in boxes in the bedroom.
A box arrived from wiggle Friday addressed to my misses (pressie for me).
New baby due in the new year.
Moved house a month ago and liking the new area.
It's sunny out today and i can see the Purbecks out of the window.

Buzz – was watching mama mia a reason to be cheerful?

Oddly i think i may use mine more in the summer, when i can't go out riding because of baby sitting duties, but can set it up in the garden and get a sun tan.

My turbo routine, like most people i know who have one, is use a couple of times then put in the shed and ignore. Sweaty, boring, noisy and you can't be bothered once you've had your tea.

Not for me thanks. Her music's even worse. You can keep Cheryl too, pretty yes, but that accent! and too skinny for me.
How lucky we all are to be able to be this fussy. 🙂

Got my 2.5 T4 insured through a-plan, 250'ish fully comp after they mirrored my no-claims from the car.

"clogs is Lancashire" – I thought all the new model army fans got theirs from Hebden Bridge, which i thought was in Yorkshire. Wherever it is, it's a long way from Dorset!

Surely Hammond has overtaken Clarkson in the 'look like an idiot' race. The hair, the necklace, the jackets, AAHHH!! May could accidentally find himself being the fasionable one soon (relatively speaking of course).

Haven't built it yet, too busy decorating the new house. It's in various boxes in the bedroom. Sold the Julianna yet?

I think Clarkson is probably the least ilkely person i'll ever be mistaken for, unless he turns out to be an old punk covered with tattoos with a skinhead. 🙂 I think c-g will confirm that Jezza and me couldn't be more different if we tried.

I'm 40 in March and don't imagine i'll suddenly throw away all of my jeans, hoodys, trainer collection, t-shirts etc. Who gives a monkeys what anyone else wears anyway?

"golf – boring game, boring people"

I play golf with some of the same people i ride with, how does that work then?

If we're talking boring people, then mountain biking is right up there. Some very interesting people and some as dull as dishwater. Most of the folk i've met off here are in the former and virtually all are of the very friendly and easy to get on with variety. 🙂

Basketball

Golf is fantastic to play, a lovely walk in the countryside with your mates on a brisk morning away from the hassles of home and work, with some semi serious sport invloved. Whats not to like? And you get to wear snazzy jumpers and shoes. And have a drink and some grub afterwards. Frustrating as hell though.

I wear a tie most days at work (bizzarely with steel toe caps and a workshop/lab coat), so would only wear one elsewhere if i had to (wedding, funeral, interview).

Do i own a tweed jacket – hhmmm, no.

C_G dress up meal after next get-together?

Graham – yeah, can be untucked if it's the right shirt. When i got married i was untucked and non-tied under a vintage suit and it sort of looked ok.

I know nothing anyway, and look like an old tramp at present as anyone on here who knows me will confirm.

Gotta be TKMaxx. Snowboard / ski jacket could do the trick. I got a lovely Santa cruz one recently for 50 odd quid.

CHINOS, DECK SHOES, SPORTS JACKET. Fortunately these items have yet to appear in my wardrobe. I'm 40 soon, are these what i need to grow old gracefully?

Jeans and shoes!!!! NOOO!!! Are you Jeremy Clarkson? Also, shirts and jeans!! NOOO!! shirts go with trousers (tucked in) and jeans go with trainers or boots.

How can pubs/clubs think that an un-tucked shirt, jeans and shoes is smart? Looks like you picked 3 random items from a wardrobe and put them on whilst running out the door.

Mind you, i look a right state most of the time so who am i to talk 😛

May i suggest a mankini for this special occasion.

Jedward

37 mile downhill (road) from top of volcano to the sea in Hawaii. Maybe not epic, but memorable.

3 year olds birthday party and hopefully building new bike. Probably stripping wall paper like the last 3 nights.

Mulletus Maximus off here has an AMS100 full susser, looks very nice and good spec for the money. Didn't look so clever when it was upside down in the track after he hit the ejector button near Basingstoke the other month (Hows the elbow?)

Building a new one this week. BMC hardtail – cant wait.

Building a BMC elite up at the moment. My alu one is being built up trail'ish, but an alu or carbon one could be built up very light if that's what you're after.

Dunno about this subsidizing stuff, but having just looked out the window, i think we're borrowing your crap weather. Sunny Saarf my ar**!

Just finished 6 months of CBT for heavy OCD problems. I've just upped my meds to soften the blow of not seeing anyone regularly, as i have previously stopped taking them and relapsed before. Keep doing the stuff you learned at CBT if possible and get a friend/family member to act as your mentor if that helps.
If you need them, don't be shy of keeping on the pills. If it was a physical problem you'd take them without question. It's taken me 7 years to get my head around that one, that it's the same for a mental issue as for a physical one. If your meds allow you to keep active and busy, then that's got to be better than sitting inside struggling without them.

It may be different depending on paricular illness, but that's my experience anyway. Good luck

Primus and Jupiler are my favourite tipples when in Belgium.

Dorset/Purbecks, a bit like most of the places mentioned, but with better weather (apart from this week!). Mountain biking is reasonable with great sea views and loads of riders about. Loads of roadies too and nice road riding (if a little bit trafficy in summer).

I guess my new BMC will be fairly rare when i finally get it built. My BREW bmx is a reasonably obscure brand too i suppose.

Don't imagine they're any better than bigger companies bikes, but it's kind of nice having something a little bit different.