h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi. I noticed that you like Pink Floyd. And LOTR, and you used to be in the Air Force so that's 3 things in common, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi.
Were you at Main Road on 8.8.88 for the Floyd? It was good, even though I was right in the back and had to lie down to see the whole stage.

Guten Abend Sho!
(Think that's right)
No, didn't see Floyd at Maine Road.
Last concert I saw was a group of your countrymen (Chris Franke, Pieter Baumann and Edgar Frose (sorry,can't do Umlauts)) i.e Tangerine Dream back in about 1986 at the Guild Hall here in Preston.

Guten Tag.
But it's ok, I'm English actually, so (brilliant as they are) Tangerine Dream aren't my countrymen. I'm impressed they played Preston though, do you get many bands there? How's Preston? I (probably along with everyone else who's never ever been there) always add a silent North End to the word Preston. Pathetic, isn't it?
So, did you like the RAF? My Mum and Grandad were in the RAF, my dad in the Army. I joined the Army too and my Mum didn't speak to me for a week! I used to work with the guys in the photography section, but I'll probably have to kill you now I told you that!

We really must stop meeting like this!
People are going to start talking about us!!

Preston is OK..it's home anyway!!
I did'nt know PNE were so popular - I support Liverpool myself (Thinks..that's done it! No more Sho for me!!)

RAF was OK - taught me a thing or three about Life etc. etc.!!

Wots wrong with photography??
Why the reference to how much longer I am going to live??

I am thinking of doing a piece on Preston - if no-one beats me to it!

BTW.. I've just done a piece on Foxhunting..
Be a dear and look it up....
You can reccomend it if you are feeling generous!!

Ah. People will talk. As Oscar said: "There's only one thing worse than being talked about and that's NOT being talked about" When I was in the Army I used to do stuff, because I don't give a stuff what people say (apart from, at the time, the Vetting Officer) because if they talked about me they left someone else alone.

Just automatic (the PNE thing) because of all the years of putting up with the football results (used to have to take them down for my dad). Same as if I hear Hamilton it's always Academicals. Always.

Ah. Liverpool. Hm. I come from Sheffield - and am very defensive about it to Liverpool supporters. But I'm not going to talk about it. Enough has been said. I'm an Owl myself - even though they're even more crap than Accrington Stanley!

Nothing wrong with photography. I was in the Intelligence Corps, so we used to look at a lot of.... ah... sensitive stuff. This was back in the 80s when there was still interesting sensitive stuff to look at. So now I'll have to kill you before you tell anyone. Mostly because now I get all the "Military Intelligence: that's a contradiction in terms isn't it" aarrgghhhh! *runs off screaming*

Foxhunting. Oh. I'm an anti, and a veggie. But, just to show that I can be objective I'll look. And I'll recommend it if it's well written !!! And hopefully it will be edited really really soon and then we can polarise h2g2 and all start SHOUTING at each other. I like a good debate as long as it doesn't get voilent and we can all go down the pub afterwards for a pint. Mine's a pint of Stones if you're buying.....

OH. I wrote (all) that before I saw what you wrote. You lovely chap. The beer's on me this time. (but not if you want lager, that you have to buy yourself)

I'll try & recommend it, although they will probably say it's too subjective. If we get it on the list other people will read and debate.

I have a theory about h2g2 that you always end up talking to people with similar interests - quite by chance. I mean, you saw my thing about fly swatting, which has nothing to do with anything. So I look at your page and we have a lot in common. Wierd.

Sho
x

P.S. Can you blow coloured smoke rings?

Military Intelligence??---No comment....
I wore uniform too, AND signed the OSA, so I am staying mum.

I suppose the (er) 'Interesting Stuff' all disappeared when the Wall
came down...ah well, such is life!!


I'll have a large Ardbeg!!

Byee

Wot??

PMFJI, but I couldn't spot Gandalf on H2G2 without paying my respects...

Phil
another real-ale drinking, LOTR reader. But from a bit south of Preston.

Actually, I don't think I've ever knowingly (although, I suppose you can't do it unknowingly) drunk real-ale. And since I don't get to UK much not much chance for me. Sniff.
Gandalf - does it ever bug you that senior RAF officers can leave secrets lying around all over the place, but if you and I were to have a discussion here about what we did in the forces 10 years ago it could even be counted as treason (and I understand that in the UK we still have the death penalty for that) and we would be DONE?

Erm. Yes!
I once received a b*****king for looking at the inside of a cupboard door on which were written war frequencies for a long range Radar!

Needless to say, an Officer had left it open while he went for a cup of tea.

I was and still am of the firm belief that Officers are just there to give the troops something else to complain about other than the food (which I always found ok, especially on exercise).
But don't you miss the Uniform?? the Bulls**t? The travelling?

To my mind, officers were just SNCOs without the brains who just wandered around doing sod-all; I never once saw an officer 'working'!

Don't miss anything you mentioned......
Do miss the comradeship though............

Comradeship.... yes, we had a bit of that too. Actually in the Int Corps the officers and NCOs all did pretty much the same job when it came to "the job" whoever was best was in charge. Which was good (and good for morale too). Which meant (since I'm not the modest type) that because I was pretty good I got to boss lots of snotty ex-Sandhurst types around until they learned a bit about working and a bit less about being snotty ex-Sandhurst types. (a Public School education helped me a lot there too!). When it came to military stuff, they did officer stuff, but since we could always give them the horrible jobs to do....)

One thing I don't miss, from my living in single accommodation days, is polishing the inside of the washing machines when the block was inspected. What a drag.

And if it does move, salute it!!!!

I totally agree........
Bull Night

What was it all for?????
Cleaning and polishing the bogs was the worst job to get stuck with.....Yukk, Yukk, Yukk!!!
'G'

character building. If you remember

character building. If you remember

As far as i remember, it was just an excuse for the Powers that Were to keep us out of the NAAFI for a few hours.
'G'

I remember one very junior officer (female) when I was an old lag (!) who discovered how much more (like, loads more) we earned than she, and she was generally grumpy and inassertive. So we had a block inspection on Monday, which meant Sunday cleaning. We had to have all kit washed & pressed and nothing in our laundry bins (we had to hide the previous day's underwear!). So, Monday: not happy, re-inspection Tuesday. Tuesday: not happy, re-inspection Wednesday. And so on. Until finally on the following Monday (we couldn't do any washing because we had to polish the insides of the washing machines) we went to work in Army issue PT kit. (green micro skirts, HUGE PT knickers (really huge and baggy!) gymn shoes and t-shirts. The guys loved it! Still no joy, so the next day we wore NBC suits. Still no joy. By this time we had no uniform left, no nerves left and the OC had finally cottoned on (not the brightest spark ever, but not a bad bloke). So Wednesday we all went in in civvies. And Wednesday PM "she" was well and truly carpeted. Bought us several crates of beer, and was sent away and never heard of again! What a pain in the bum.
Although on the whole, I liked the Army. But I wouldn't go back now - too wishy washy!

Never had an inspecting officer that bad!!..was it the wrong time of the month for her????

No, I would not go back (too old anyway)
Reason (one of them) I left was too many divvies coming in who did not know the first thing about safety and high voltage, and i for one did not want to be around when one of the idiots either killed himself or me!!!

'G'