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

What did you do to your desk?

That "Service Desk" was one of my positions when I was still in our Air Force. Now, I'm a contracted repair and service technician. So I don't get a desk, just a couple of work benches and scads of tools and testing equipments.

Well, I'm very surprised they haven't given you a phone to go on your bench........ How can anyone hasstle you now?

Oh we have one extension for the 3 of us in this shop. I just make sure that it stays on the junior kid's bench. And since no one ever pronounces my name correctly, ... I can be difficult to locate.

I sometimes wish I was harder to track down. The studnets are a persistant lot though. I can go into hiding for an hour or so, and they're still waiting for me on my return.

Are they persistent, or only able to have one thing on the mind at once? And if that can't be met, say "Find the library Lady and ask a question ...", they are lost until someone gives them a new directive.

Some of both.

In fact I had what I can only suppose was supposed to be a compliment of sorts today. I trundled off to the garden centre to buy hay for my guinea pigs during my lunch brake. On my return I grabbed a and went back to my post, to be greeted with great releif by the chap, who then demanded that I never leave the building again. Apparently whenever I go "things brake down and don't work round here". so there you go, I have a use.

Yep, what we'd call a "back-handed compliment". Still, it does help the self-esteem a bit, on those more dreary kinda days.

So how many guinea's have you got? As kids, we used to raise rabbits and guinea pigs, that would be sold off through pet stores. I think the peak number was about 300 , and 75 or so guinea's.

And a MOUND of refuse to clean daily.

A dreary Thursday??? I've not had one of those since September! My most interesting and exciting group turns up on a Thursday for three hours of baby sitting.

I've only got two guineas at pressent, they came from the small animal centre here at work, and as a result of being around the students from day one are the friendliest, and bossyest pigs I've ever met. As we live in a flat I've been banned from keeping females. I did bread the occasional litter when I was living at home though.

I've rather gone off pet shops though, having seen some fairly appaling conditions in some of them. I'd hate to think of any off spring being sold off to a shop, and then onto some one for a kid who loses interest within a few months to leave an pet living out the rest of it's years in possible neglect.

Our little enterprise operated from about '72 to '75. In those days, the shops seemed humane, and kids still learned about responsibility. I certainly wouldn't consider it in these times though. PC games and the internet are far more important than an empty little furry tummy, eh?

So what is the nature of your Thursday group that makes it so 'entertaining'?

My Thursday group are 10 very, very, very imature 15/16 year old farming students. They're individually all nice kids, but they're hyper active, wind each other up and can't concentrate for more than 10 mins at a time.

I spend a certain amount of time chuckling over half heard comments, then trying to help them and keep them in one place rather than having them whizzing around the room on the computer chairs.

You do indeed deal with some very disparate folks, don't you? So you have a little of something in your work as I have in mine. When you leave home in the morning, you have a general idea of what the day will be. But you can count on the unexpected challenges to arise as well.

That's why I enjoy it. I'd hate to have to spend all my time stuck in meetings and pushing paper work about the place.

Indeed. The very reason I was frequently glad to have NOT been promoted above the work-force and into a purely supervisory capacity. And I like to be able to see that I have accomplished something at the end of a day ... Pride, I suppose.

Something like that. I like to be useful, but I like to be able to leave my work at work.

Anyway, as it's a Friday time to forget about the office. Are you up to anything exciting this weekend?

At the moment, just closing out the home box and away to my work. I think the week-end will be tidying up the basement. Late in the summer, I moved my work-bench area and stuff, and built a room to serve as office and computer room. So that we could merge two bedrooms (one previously the computer room) into a 'suite'. I never did sort all the stuff that had to move to allow the space for the new room.

Don't I just know how to have fun, eh?

You're still doing your DIY????? Should have been finished months ago.

I have a rather interesting spouse. As the final drops of paint are drying on a project, she'll expound on how well it all worked out. "But when will you/we get to ... " And so begins another.

So there are times when the inconsequential loose-ends take some time to be met.

Ah ha, so really it's like painting a very long bridge. Just as you finish one end you are told that you have to go back to the beginning and start again.

I suppose when it's your own house it's worth doing though.

Yes, the satisfaction-factor is quite nice. There have been a couple of projects that started of necessity ... The bath walls being tiled, and the grout failling about the same time an interminable drip began from the faucet. So over a Christmas week, all new plumbing and water control, followed by a fibreglass tub-surround.

Other things, like new flower-beds or a show-case for bisque angels inset into a wall, ... They're just 'coz I can.