Rigger's Diary
Wrightsaerials
Sheffield. There's nothing I hate more than rainy building sites. As I was
locking the van up I looked at my key and it had snapped in half! By immense
good luck Paul was working at the same site and he had a key for my van in his
van. Phew! The broken key was almost new, and had an obvious fault in the
metal.
On Parkway on the way to a job in Rotherham about a hundred red balloons were
swirling about just above the road and up in the sky. Apparently they were
launched in York, but why they all descended on that bit of Parkway I don't
know. Then when I got to the roundabout over the M1 a deep hole had appeared in
the road. The sides of the hole were crumbling away. I rung the police about
the hole and they said Highways were 'aware', but 'God only knows when they'll
fill it in'. I rung Radio Sheffield (I'm a citizen, me) and told the jam dodger
man about both phenomena, and details were duly broadcast.
We have a problem with a system in a large residential complex where four of
the in-house channels are on 22, 25, 28, and 32. Unfortunately some of the
windows face Belmont, and although the site is a long way from that transmitter
enough signal comes through the windows of the upper floors to cause
patterning. The solution is decent quality flyleads, and we need 600. Tomorrow
Brian comes round to start his new job: manufacturer of CT100 flyleads!
Personally I don't fancy it. I made four and I was already going up the wall. I
get bored very easily.
Grandad has made me a sort of adjustable platform thingy so we can do a
particular job involving the ladder being placed on a shiny slopey metal roof.
He wanted to come out on site and climb the ladder, but at 84 I'm not sure that
he's insured!
A trip to Cropton Brewery
http://www.croptonbrewery.co.uk/
is much overdue. Cropton's bottle conditioned beers are the finest in the land,
and believe me I'm an expert. I'm reduced to drinking rubbish from the Maltby
Rhythm and Booze. Why are they called that? They don't have muzak. They ought
to be called 'Inane chatter from the half-wit at the till and witchpiss'.
A really bizarre thing happened last week. I knocked on the door of a flat
where the occupier had responded to a card asking him when he would like us to
call. No one answered, and listening at the letterbox I could hear snoring. I
banged really hard but still got no response. It seemed odd that the snoring
was so loud, so I peered through the letter box and I could see a bare leg on
the hall floor. I rung the caretaker and he had no hesitation in forcing the
door. We found a young man wearing a tee shirt but nothing else, with a wound
on his head that had been bleeding. There was also a lot of blood around his
genitals, but no obvious wound. He was fast asleep on the hall floor. He woke
up quite easily, and started to apologize in a confused way for causing a
problem. Apparently he had been out all night with his mates, and somewhere en
route home had involuntarily shat himself. He had decided to clean himself up
and had sat in the sink to wash his arse. The sink had collapsed and he had
banged his head on the corner of the bath. Somehow a fragment of the sink had
penetrated his 'barse' (apparently this is the bit between your bollocks and
your arse) and had caused superficial damage. The taps were still on the ends
of their pipes, bend forward but not leaking. For whatever reason the young man
had then fallen asleep on the hall floor. The caretaker made a forced joke
about this being a complicated way to get a vasectomy. The young man was mostly
concerned about his TV reception. He refused to go in the ambulance until I
assured him that I would sort it out. It turned out that his VCR was not
plugged into the mains, which explained why he could get DTT but not analogue
(think about the RF chain).
Bill
Jim Crowther
Wrightsaerials <wrights...@aol.com> writes some wonderful imagery:
>'barse'
Heh.
--
Jim Crowther "It's MY computer" (tm SMG)
One way to escape spam: <http://popfile.sourceforge.net/>
And another very good one: <http://keir.net/k9.html>
Dave
>'barse' (apparently this is the bit between your bollocks and your
>arse)
Sounds like Viz-ism from "Roger's Profanisaurus".
Bollocks & arse = barse... you know it makes sense ;-)
--
Dave
Dave Clarke
> This morning ...
<Snip>
Have you considered starting a blog?
--
Dave Clarke
Wrightsaerials
I don't know what's involved.
Bill
Paul Sherwin
wrote:
>>Have you considered starting a blog?
>
>I don't know what's involved.
You just write a public diary. There are specialist websites that make
it easy to do this, or you can do it yourself on your own site.
Highly entertaining story about the bloke and the collapsing washbasin
BTW. Maybe I don't have such a drink problem after all.
Best regards, Paul
--
Paul Sherwin Consulting http://paulsherwin.co.uk
Wrightsaerials
>it easy to do this, or you can do it yourself on your own site.
I suppose eventually I'll get round to learning how my website works, then I
could do it on there. There would be so many fun things to do if I didn't have
to spend all my time working!
I thought the washbasin incident was funny as well, though I have a slight
worry that a regular diary would start to seem like a campaign to knock the
'lower orders' since they provide much of the amusement. I suppose I could put
a few things in about wealthy halfwit customers as well. We have plenty of
them.
Bill
Aztech
news:20030702134827...@mb-m13.aol.com...
There's a balance, the one about the old boy and his fillies was particularly
endearing.
Az.
Paul Sherwin
wrote:
>I thought the washbasin incident was funny as well, though I have a slight
>worry that a regular diary would start to seem like a campaign to knock the
>'lower orders' since they provide much of the amusement. I suppose I could put
>a few things in about wealthy halfwit customers as well. We have plenty of
>them.
The washbasin story came across as pretty class-neutral to me. It
could have been anywhere from a posh mansion block to a rough council
estate.
Wrightsaerials
me to set up a Sky box in his 'study' with a porno channel card. The thing was,
he wanted me to tell lies to his wife, a thoroughly nice woman. I maybe ought
to write it all down, because it did turn out to be quite amusing, and as in
all good stories he got his just deserts.
Bill
Wrightsaerials
you know that the estate was really rough and the flat was a shit tip simply
shows what a nice un-classconscious chap I am!
Bill
PS: the truth is, I'm so used to shit tips I don't think to mention it!
Ha! Do you remember the bit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail that went as
follows?:
"How do you know he's the king?"
"Because he's not covered in shit."
Ewan
"Dave" <news.re...@dv-8.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:lWa4BQPEJjA$Ew...@dv-8.demon.co.uk...
Or is that "scents"...
Ewan
David Robinson
> On 02 Jul 2003 13:59:38 GMT, wrights...@aol.com (Wrightsaerials)
> wrote:
>
> >>Have you considered starting a blog?
> >
> >I don't know what's involved.
>
> You just write a public diary. There are specialist websites that make
> it easy to do this, or you can do it yourself on your own site.
Isn't it best to keep large quantities of funny stories _off_ his
website, incase people avoid employing him for fear of appearing
there! Or would they just think what we do: "He's a good bloke - I'll
give him some business since he's given me a laugh"?
If you look at the huge thread "Rigger's Diary" on Google groups, you
can find many of Bill's stories archived there.
Cheers,
David.
Dave Clarke
> paul...@paulsherwin.co.uk (Paul Sherwin) wrote in message
> news:<3f0315b...@news.cis.dfn.de>...
>> On 02 Jul 2003 13:59:38 GMT, wrights...@aol.com (Wrightsaerials)
>> wrote:
>>
>> >>Have you considered starting a blog?
>> >
>> >I don't know what's involved.
>>
>> You just write a public diary. There are specialist websites that make
>> it easy to do this, or you can do it yourself on your own site.
>
> Isn't it best to keep large quantities of funny stories _off_ his
> website, incase people avoid employing him for fear of appearing
> there! Or would they just think what we do: "He's a good bloke - I'll
> give him some business since he's given me a laugh"?
The blog doesn't have to associated with his website.
--
Dave Clarke
Wrightsaerials
>website, incase people avoid employing him for fear of appearing
>there!
I sometimes wonder if I should have a sensible website for work and an entirely
separate silly one for indulging myself.
Bill
Ivor Jones
Sounds like a good idea to me :-)) Be warned though Bill, you may end up
spending so much time on the website you won't have time for work ;-)
Ivor
Paul Sherwin
Ah, that's OK because Bill has to physically leave his house to go to
work - get in the van, drive to a site, climb on the roof etc. The
people at risk are those like me who should be spending all day in
front of a computer screen *working*, but instead spend hours reading
entertaining stuff in uk.tech.broadcast.
BTW, C4 had a docu about Rod Hull tonight - mentioned him falling off
the roof while fiddling with the TV ariel. Definitely not funny,
especially as told by his son who heard the thump as he hit the
ground, and couldn't find a pulse.
Best regards, Paul.
Wrightsaerials
>work - get in the van, drive to a site, climb on the roof etc. The
>people at risk are those like me who should be spending all day in
>front of a computer screen *working*, but instead spend hours reading
>entertaining stuff in uk.tech.broadcast.
>
>BTW, C4 had a docu about Rod Hull tonight - mentioned him falling off
>the roof while fiddling with the TV ariel. Definitely not funny,
>especially as told by his son who heard the thump as he hit the
>ground, and couldn't find a pulse.
>
>Best regards, Paul.
>--
It might surprise you, but I spend hours in front of the PC as well. It's
astonishing how much time I spend working out quotes, preparing information for
customers and residents, planning systems for other people, and so forth. As a
matter of fact I've just done a three and a half hour stint on the computer. So
that I don't play on the internet when I should be working, I have no internet
connection on the office computer. To use the net I have to come into another
room, where I am now, and that sets a demarkation between work and play. It
does work.
tony sayer
<paul...@paulsherwin.co.uk> writes
Here' one for the statisticians among the multitude here.
Is it more harmful to your health aerial rigging, and getting some
exercise, or spending hours in front of your PC...
--
Tony Sayer
Wrightsaerials
>
>Is it more harmful to your health aerial rigging, and getting some
>exercise, or spending hours in front of your PC...
>--
>Tony Sayer
Interestingly, my insurance company doesn't rate aerial rigging as particularly
risky. Much less risky than lorry driving, for instance.
Bill
Laugh at our Rogue's Gallery
Admire the antiquities in Albert's Attic
Marvel at our breathtaking Aerial Photography
All anoraks MUST visit
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/index.html
moocowmoo
job working in the graphics department at ITN.
Peter
I travelled to work by tube and sat in the gloomy graphics department all
day.
"Wrightsaerials" <wrights...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
news:20030704073612...@mb-m11.aol.com...
Ashley Booth
says...
> I once had a car insurance application rejected because I was in a "risky"
> job working in the graphics department at ITN.
>
> Peter
>
I tried to get a quote for car insurance from Esure but was rejected
because of my ITN work. I wonder how Michael Winner got insurance!
Ashley
DB
> because of my ITN work. I wonder how Michael Winner got insurance!
Funny you should say that. esure placed an ad in Ariel offering favourable
rates for BBC employees. When someone tried to get a quote they were told
esure doesn't insure people in the broadcasting industry.
Dave
>In article <be3vcj$lhp$1$8300...@news.demon.co.uk>, mel...@hotmail.com
>says...
>> I once had a car insurance application rejected because I was in a "risky"
>> job working in the graphics department at ITN.
Presumably they classed you as high risk along with the journalists.
>I tried to get a quote for car insurance from Esure but was rejected
>because of my ITN work. I wonder how Michael Winner got insurance!
Indeed. Esure don't insure actors, so he had to agree to pay a special
premium in order to be insured by them - so that Esure wouldn't fall
foul of the ITC's rules
http://money.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4695371,00.html
--
Dave
tony sayer
<mel...@hotmail.com> writes
>I once had a car insurance application rejected because I was in a "risky"
>job working in the graphics department at ITN.
Ah! a Jurno...well dodgy:-((...
>
>Peter
>
>I travelled to work by tube and sat in the gloomy graphics department all
>day.
>"Wrightsaerials" <wrights...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
>news:20030704073612...@mb-m11.aol.com...
>> >Here' one for the statisticians among the multitude here.
>> >
>> >Is it more harmful to your health aerial rigging, and getting some
>> >exercise, or spending hours in front of your PC...
>> >--
>> >Tony Sayer
>>
>> Interestingly, my insurance company doesn't rate aerial rigging as
>particularly
>> risky. Much less risky than lorry driving, for instance.
>> Bill
>> Laugh at our Rogue's Gallery
>> Admire the antiquities in Albert's Attic
>> Marvel at our breathtaking Aerial Photography
>> All anoraks MUST visit
>> http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/index.html
>
>
--
Tony Sayer
Ian Jelf
>job working in the graphics department at ITN.
It seems t hat *anyone* working in the broadcast media, even in the most
oblique way, tends to get hammered for motor insurance. They assume, I
think, that you're likely to have someone famous in your vehicle, injure
them and then face massive claims for lost earnings, etc.
I agree that the graphic department at ITN probably wasn't the way rub
shoulders with the rich and famous on an hourly basis but you never
know. I did once have Selina Scott in my 2CV (by which I mean I gave her
a lift to New Street Station). Now that *would* have given my insurers
something to think about, I suppose......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk
Ivor Jones
"Ian Jelf" <i...@bluebadge.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bhIsyObfoUC$Ew...@bluebadge.demon.co.uk...
> In article <be3vcj$lhp$1$8300...@news.demon.co.uk>, moocowmoo
> <mel...@hotmail.com> writes
> >I once had a car insurance application rejected because I was in a
"risky"
> >job working in the graphics department at ITN.
>
> It seems t hat *anyone* working in the broadcast media, even in the most
> oblique way, tends to get hammered for motor insurance. They assume, I
> think, that you're likely to have someone famous in your vehicle, injure
> them and then face massive claims for lost earnings, etc.
>
> I agree that the graphic department at ITN probably wasn't the way rub
> shoulders with the rich and famous on an hourly basis but you never
> know. I did once have Selina Scott in my 2CV (by which I mean I gave her
> a lift to New Street Station). Now that *would* have given my insurers
> something to think about, I suppose......
If we're name dropping, I had a drink with Ken Bruce a couple of weeks
ago..! A mate of mine when I used to do hospital radio gave the late
lamented Ray Moore a lift once, he had a brass plaque up in the back seat
of his car to say so ;-)) He got Ray to do all his jingles as well, wish
I'd kept copies :-)
Ivor
Gareth Rowlands
Ian Jelf wrote:
> It seems t hat *anyone* working in the broadcast media, even in
> the most oblique way, tends to get hammered for motor insurance.
There was a West London broker who offered 10% discount for BBC
staff in Ariel and gave very competitive quotes. It was only when
you were about to sign on the line that they hit you with a 25%
loading for working in the entertainment industry.
I have always described my job as 'Broadcast Engineer', and do
have business use included in the deal, but I have not been
loaded (to my knowledge) by companies like Direct Line or Eagle
Star as a result.
> They assume, I think, that you're likely to have someone famous
> in your vehicle, injure them and then face massive claims for
> lost earnings, etc.
Well, there was one firm who did say something very similar, but
they also wanted to know if my motor (which comes fitted with a
V8 as standard) had a 16 valve engine, because they charged extra
for that too !
Cheers,
Gareth.
Wrightsaerials
>ago..!
Name dropping eh? Well I'd like you all to know that my daughter's boyfriend's
uncle was the knifethrower in Octopussy. Ha! Beat that!
Mark Carver
>
> I have always described my job as 'Broadcast Engineer', and do
> have business use included in the deal, but I have not been
> loaded (to my knowledge) by companies like Direct Line or Eagle
> Star as a result.
Colleagues of mine (here on the equipment manufacture side) have
had problems with the term "Broadcast Engineer". I've always used
"Electronics Engineer" that causes no difficulty with insurance companies.
They probably imagine a spotty geek with E.E., and someone permanently
pissed with B.E. :-)
Paul Sherwin
I think that's it. They assume everyone in the entertainment industry
is permanently pissed and coked up, and drives their Porsche into a
wall at regular intervals (actually, they're not completely wrong.)
I'm a 'computer manager' and they seem happy with that.
Best regards, Paul
Ashley Booth
markc...@onetel.net.uk says...
But some insurers want the know the type of buisness your employee is
in.
Wrightsaerials
Valves? I'm surprised you don't have transistors in this day and age.
Mark Carver
> In article <20030707....@lightfox.demon.co.uk>,
> Gareth Rowlands wrote:
>
>> Well, there was one firm who did say something very similar, but
>> they also wanted to know if my motor (which comes fitted with a
>> V8 as standard) had a 16 valve engine, because they charged extra
>> for that too !
>
The Lada had 16 valves, 8 in the engine, and 8 in the radio :-)
Mark Carver
>> Colleagues of mine (here on the equipment manufacture side) have
>> had problems with the term "Broadcast Engineer". I've always used
>> "Electronics Engineer" that causes no difficulty with insurance
>> companies. They probably imagine a spotty geek with E.E., and
>> someone permanently pissed with B.E. :-)
> But some insurers want the know the type of buisness your employee is
> in.
Telecommunications of course ;-)
Ian Jelf
<p...@zetnet.net> writes
>I also share a name with an ATV schools producer (got ribbed about that
>as a kid, I did), a well known comedian's real name, a daytime TV
>antiques dealer, and a Cambridge don who writes about sleep.
And, although for some reason you omitted to mention it, Paul, my
cousin's husband.......
h
> Yes of course. I recently got involved with a total upper class twit who
wanted
> me to set up a Sky box in his 'study' with a porno channel card. The thing
was,
> he wanted me to tell lies to his wife, a thoroughly nice woman. I maybe
ought
> to write it all down, because it did turn out to be quite amusing, and as
in
> all good stories he got his just deserts.
<sitting comfortably>
Do go on...
Wrightsaerials
>cousin's husband.......
>
My grandma knew DH Lawrence.
Wrightsaerials
>
OK. Give me a little time and I'll put it on
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/youmustbejoking.html