tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.comments2023-04-09T13:38:29.293+01:00Is it Friday yet?Is it Friday yet?http://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-46391548256918727442012-02-20T09:55:47.543+00:002012-02-20T09:55:47.543+00:00I love the title quote :) I'm looking forward ...I love the title quote :) I'm looking forward to seeing photos of your trip! It's quite a daunting task getting all the pictures sorted out...I've got it all head of me in the next few days too :)Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352486276819570542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-16341808486125310992012-01-22T21:11:06.007+00:002012-01-22T21:11:06.007+00:00How very strange... we had one just today funnily ...How very strange... we had one just today funnily enough! We did indeed watch Casablanca as planned but (oh no!) we had to leave the house 10 minutes before the end! Such a shame because we were really enjoying it. I may have cheat-watched the last couple of minutes on YouTube so I know how it ends but I plan to watch it again in full again next time it's on. Very good film!<br /><br />Also yes I have seen that show but not Sarah Millican's one. I shall reserve judgement until I have seen Some Like It Hot for myself but I'm hopeful I will like it from what I know of it. As for E.T... well, it never made me cry as so many claim but I would definitely put it on your must-see list anyway :-)<br /><br />The Shining... never seen that either. Another future possibility there!Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-75399892824294074812012-01-18T15:02:11.749+00:002012-01-18T15:02:11.749+00:00Do you know the Radio 4 programme I've Never S...Do you know the Radio 4 programme I've Never Seen Star Wars? Sara Millican was on it recently and watched Some Like It Hot for the first time. She hated it! Which surprised me and has certainly put her down in my estimation. Somehow, I've never seen E.T. but the one big one I'd definitely put on my list is The Shining. Casablanca should be good for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Do you get many of those in NI? ;-)Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04175423129083772700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-31877734682661828372012-01-16T00:23:49.368+00:002012-01-16T00:23:49.368+00:00Just wanted to say thanks for not killing or serio...Just wanted to say thanks for not killing or seriously maiming me over the last 2 years. Here's to a hopeful lifetime with a lack of maiming :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667346027685084738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-83455704339977000512011-11-16T16:58:51.841+00:002011-11-16T16:58:51.841+00:00As a PRIVATE sector worker, I totally agree with t...As a PRIVATE sector worker, I totally agree with the strike action. It would take an essay to explain the ins and outs of why I believe this to be the case but in summary:<br /><br />It is not the public sector that needs to be streamlined to the point where it's balancing society on a knife edge, it is the private sector that needs to get it's house in order. Not just in this country but around the world. Sadly, it won't do that unless there is push back from the very thing that fuels it - the workforce and it's democratic representation - aka the government - so if the government is willing to rearrange itself to facilitate stupidity from the private sector then we're all screwed (and not just for pensions)... no matter what sector we work in. If industrial action is needed to remind the government of their real priorities then so be it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667346027685084738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-79864620683790184322011-11-15T12:31:04.860+00:002011-11-15T12:31:04.860+00:00Lucky I didn't ask for your sympathy then isn&...Lucky I didn't ask for your sympathy then isn't it? :-)<br /><br />In all seriousness, it's easy for private sector workers to complain that their pension scheme is inferior to the public sector's, even the newly proposed version. And yes, there is no argument there. However a pension is only one aspect of the benefits of a job.<br /><br />Depending on the sort of work you do, you could be paid a lot more in the private sector for doing a similar job. As an example, there is a job currently listed on the Job Centre Online website that I have the qualifications and skills to apply for, which pays £7k a year more than I currently earn working at the civil service. However I'm not going to apply for it because the other benefits of working in the civil service (pensions, possibility of internal transfers for skills development, possibility for internal promotion, etc) outweigh the extra money in my eyes. However this is not the case for everyone.<br /><br />Aside from salary (which I realise isn't always as generous as in the public service), private sector workers often also have other benefits that many public servants do not, e.g. overtime, bonuses, commission, alternative working patterns, less stringent sickness policies, to name but a few. Plenty of private sector workers I know wouldn't dream of joining the civil service because they would have to give us their company-provided Blackberry and/or car and their annual bonus (often thousands of pounds).<br /><br />I've worked in both sectors and quite frankly I can see that there are currently benefits to both. However if you start pealing away the civil service benefits one layer at a time (which is, let's face it, probably the government's long-term goal), all you're left with is a dull 9-5 job with mediocre pay. Personally that's not what I'm after in life and so I'll take whatever steps I feel are appropriate to try and prevent that in whatever small way I can.<br /><br />If you feel differently and you think the deal that public sector workers get is so wonderful, there's nothing to stop you applying for a job on the next round of recruitment (now that the freeze has been lifted).<br /><br />The crux of the matter here is that you're more than welcome to disagree with me (and the thousands of other public sector workers across the UK) but I'm afraid that private sector workers crying "woe is me" doesn't particularly garner my sympathy and it isn't going to make me feel guilty about my decision.<br /><br />Also, in response to your questions:<br /><br />1. I'm not forgetting it, I'm simply counting it as a benefit to my contract of employment. I didn't make the rules, I just signed up to them. I used to be a private sector worker and didn't begrudge my tax going towards such things then. Quite frankly I have more of a problem with my tax going to benefit cheats and the like. You've got to pick your battles.<br /><br />2. "Still" may be the operative word in that sentence, but I won't even be able to think about retiring for the next 30+ years - who knows what the situation will be then. We have an ageing population and our economy isn't exactly the most stable thing in the world - seems to me like upping the retirement age further would be a logical step at some point down the line. Just (cynical) speculation.Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-30217156830853170462011-11-11T08:45:12.357+00:002011-11-11T08:45:12.357+00:00Appreciate your confession as a civil servant. How...Appreciate your confession as a civil servant. However, please don't confuse the ordinary state pension that everyone pays and receives as part of National Insurance, versus the proposed "careen average" final pension that public sector workers receive: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/8870505/The-real-truth-about-public-sector-pensions.html<br /><br />As a private sector worker, I have no sympathy with the planned strike action:<br /><br />1. While you may need to pay £50+ per month more, you are forgetting to mention that the Government (i.e. rest of us taxpayers) are matching your monthly payment with a c. 28% monthly contribution. I would LOVE my employer to make such a contribution. As it is, the max for me is a matching 10%. (Some public sector workers are daft enough to opt out of this scheme.)<br /><br />2. Isn't the public sector retirement age still 60? For the rest of us, it will by 66 soon, and planned to be 68 by the time I get there (and my family genetics aren't favourable!).<br /><br />So, yes, you'll need to cough up an extra £600 per year for an earlier pension that the rest of us will insure by paying higher taxes. Plus I would have to save an extra £500,000 for a similar pension payout (because Government is contributing so much more to your pot than my employer and I can do to mine).<br /><br />Sorry, no sympathy here at all whatsoever.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350706179528590465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-11404073736115644092011-09-12T18:52:03.964+01:002011-09-12T18:52:03.964+01:00It looks like an interesting film and from a diffe...It looks like an interesting film and from a different perspective than most accounts of the events, thanks for sharing. If I see it on TV I'll be sure to watch.Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-17623851643913249162011-09-12T09:54:21.759+01:002011-09-12T09:54:21.759+01:00Glad to know that you two were at the commemoratio...Glad to know that you two were at the commemoration ceremony at Belfast City Hall yesterday.<br /><br />I have not watched many 9/11 documentaries, but one I like very much is The Hamburg Cell (aired BBC 2004), a docudrama about Ziad Jarrah:<br /><br />http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398093/<br /><br />Perhaps the most dramatic scene is at the end, when is wife is at hospital watching the events unfold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VfQyVeCsC4&feature=relatedAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350706179528590465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-74853623253330995442011-08-30T16:27:50.619+01:002011-08-30T16:27:50.619+01:00Isn't it such a lovely wee place? I think I w...Isn't it such a lovely wee place? I think I would happily live there :-)Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-74757899998765863012011-08-23T13:23:26.846+01:002011-08-23T13:23:26.846+01:00I loved Cardiff, I'm looking forward to readin...I loved Cardiff, I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on it, and seeing the Yorkshiremans photos too :)Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352486276819570542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-59744078127885345802011-08-21T22:27:09.268+01:002011-08-21T22:27:09.268+01:00Wow I hope you have a really great night! Just enj...Wow I hope you have a really great night! Just enjoy it and have fun... and good luck!Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-46200605470727552332011-08-14T01:30:13.493+01:002011-08-14T01:30:13.493+01:00I really enjoyed this little story of your rocky h...I really enjoyed this little story of your rocky horror adventure! =) I am a part of a live performing cast in Illinois and just found out last week that on October first Patrica Quinn and Barry Bostwick will be at our show.. And we are doing a really double feature, 10pm and 12am. I am super stoked and so glad to hear that Quinn was quirky and enjoyable to meet as I will be performing for her. >.< I'm nervous, but I am also just glad I won't be magenta or brad that night. I am glad you got out for old times sake and enjoyed RHPS. I love hearing these cute stories like these..Colleen Corinnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11397527287551693551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-50986215749816454702011-07-20T02:44:30.319+01:002011-07-20T02:44:30.319+01:00Ummmmmm, Bravas, nom nom :)
It was well yummy - m...Ummmmmm, Bravas, nom nom :)<br /><br />It was well yummy - my bit of steak in that dish was small but it more than made up for its size in taste and the potted mackerel was really delicious as was the wine *drool*.<br /><br />I still reckon you're being generous about the movie though. I'd only stretch as far as 3 out of 10. 1 for not being as bad as the made for TV movie we saw the other day and an extra 1 point because Jason Segel was in it and the last point because it did have the word bad in the title so really they could claim it was as advertised.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667346027685084738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-63493294153408185582011-07-14T19:27:54.124+01:002011-07-14T19:27:54.124+01:00I really enjoyed your post. I agree, Belfast is lo...I really enjoyed your post. I agree, Belfast is looking really good lately. I've only been here for not even two years yet, but there's already a huge difference from when I first arrived!Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352486276819570542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-43862524480298595122011-06-25T13:56:26.684+01:002011-06-25T13:56:26.684+01:00Ah very good, can't wait to see both your entr...Ah very good, can't wait to see both your entries!! I'm rubbish with our camera too lolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-59377078116148074232011-06-24T11:12:16.113+01:002011-06-24T11:12:16.113+01:00Oh nicsnotebook.com, the Skandia! I used to love g...Oh nicsnotebook.com, the Skandia! I used to love going there for birthday dinners as a kid. If I recall they had some kind of vanilla and chocolate sundae called a "black and white minstrel", presumably before such things were considered to be too un-PC. I think it even had sparklers in it. Memories... :-)<br /><br />And Mr Ulster, I agree entirely! Although I imagine if they went to the North of England they'd get bigger laughs poking fun at Londoners, so everything is relative ;-)Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-25964761005859156152011-06-24T06:35:02.174+01:002011-06-24T06:35:02.174+01:00Glad you got to enjoy the show, again. And from a ...Glad you got to enjoy the show, again. And from a unique perspective of seeing it from both sides of the pond. I also noticed the French/Polish amendment and thought it unnecessary. If anything, considering we have a Polish community in Northern Ireland, keeping the original verse would have been more appropriate. Yet I suspect this was an England adaptation, as it would be funnier in the London shows to poke fun at the French. Anyway, long live Avenue Q!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350706179528590465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-1716319522789494842011-06-23T16:07:26.863+01:002011-06-23T16:07:26.863+01:00Oh I used to love going to the Opera House when I ...Oh I used to love going to the Opera House when I was wee. My mum & I always used to go to The Skandia rest before lol..! The show sounds fab, glad u had good nite :) xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-8425671858280787262011-06-21T15:29:08.900+01:002011-06-21T15:29:08.900+01:00Yeah it was definitely, um, "special"! C...Yeah it was definitely, um, "special"! Can't wait 'til the next season starts to see how he can improve on this one!Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-85595443281885246212011-06-17T05:19:44.429+01:002011-06-17T05:19:44.429+01:00WOW. Thanks for that picture! I hadn't actuall...WOW. Thanks for that picture! I hadn't actually seen Don Cherry's infamous flower suit yet. XD<br /><br />It looks like his wife changed out the household drapes and dressed him in the leftover material. ¬.¬Ellen Lloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08049433797041092830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-42387274973315964932011-05-08T00:07:35.451+01:002011-05-08T00:07:35.451+01:00I'm an idiot on my feet too and am always conv...I'm an idiot on my feet too and am always convinced I'm going to fall over. We're contemplating the Cave Hill walk tomorrow!So, thanks for the warning ;)Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352486276819570542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-90913161471292075702011-03-26T21:03:01.148+00:002011-03-26T21:03:01.148+00:00Hey! I'm not a cooling tray :P that specifical...Hey! I'm not a cooling tray :P that specifically was not in our wedding vows and before you say it... don't try to spin it as being part of the 'to have and to hold' ;)<br /><br />For sure though the freezer is a magical beast of food preservation magnificence :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04667346027685084738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-84713012040079276182011-03-22T16:05:45.151+00:002011-03-22T16:05:45.151+00:00Not a fan of the quango then? ;-) Fully agree wit...Not a fan of the quango then? ;-) Fully agree with you that maybe a little competition would buck up their ideas but then others would maybe argue the solution is to bring them fully under the government's remit so that any profits are put back into improving the service. To be honest I'm not optimistic anything will improve the situation. Bring on the Belfast underground!Is it Friday yet?https://www.blogger.com/profile/00742864821087454250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047451827781051010.post-15423651058682639292011-03-22T13:55:22.695+00:002011-03-22T13:55:22.695+00:00I have a big problem with translink, they are publ...I have a big problem with translink, they are publicly subsidized to the tune of quite a few million pounds a year, they have been given a monopoly yet they still charge well above the odds on the metro service. That coupled with the fact a large percentage of their drivers are ignorant arrogant twats. <br /><br /> Before i got my driving licence i relied on them and was let down many many times, if the drd want better public transport let other companys compete on a level playing field.belfast cabbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12816758057726122673noreply@blogger.com