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Four and a song
17 February 2016 18:18


Hand Cleaning

Effective cleaning requires combination of four elements: mechanical action, chemical action, temperature and time. If you reduce one, you need to compensate by increasing one or more of the others. This seems to have been a strategy employed at work over the last couple of weeks. Last week the paper towel dispenser was not refilled, rapidly followed by the soap dispenser. But to compensate, the temperature of the hot water increased. Not a particularly successful compensation, as the water was too hot to use. The towel situation we had been warned about – apparently it’s a cost-cutting measure (there is a hand drier which has all the effectiveness of an asthmatic ant). So we go next door to the kitchen which does have hand towels.

Thursday, the water temperature reduced to sub-lukewarm levels – but still no soap or towels. I jokingly said that this wasn’t in response to our complaints, but because the high temperature had caused the boiler to blow a gasket. Many a true word spoken in jest – it turns out that the boiler has indeed failed (though not necessarily as a result of the scalding temperature).

We now have tubs of sanitising hand gel to use. Not an ideal replacement as sanitising hand gel does what it says on the tin – it sanitises your hands; it doesn’t clean them. Plus you shouldn’t use it more than five times without washing your hands as the gel builds up a bacteria-loving coating on your hands. Another problem is that your hands need to be dry, and my automatic action on reaching the sink is to wet them under the (lukewarm) tap.


Running

No parkrun in Eastleigh the weekend before last (waterlogged course). It saved me from a dilemma, as I had a bit of a cold and wasn’t sure whether I should run or not. However, not starting my Saturday in the usual way left me discombobulated for the rest of the morning. No Eastleigh parkrun last weekend either, so I went to try the Southampton one. It was wet and cold – not helped by the fact that I arrived half an hour early - and my hands were getting to the painful side of cold by the end.

The Southampton parkrun course is along tarmac paths, so a faster course than Eastleigh. I managed to pull in a time only seven second slower than my personal best, even having had to stop to tie my shoelace. And I think that personal best was on a day when the route was slightly shorter and/or the stop watches were running fast, as I’ve never got near to it since.

Sunday afternoon I went for a short run around Eastleigh because I am keen a smug runner. My route took me over to the far reaches of the park, where I discovered what appears to be a new pedestrian tunnel under the motorway. New to me, you understand – I think it’s probably been there for some time.

I’ve had my entry for the Eastleigh 10km confirmed. I’m going to do it to raise money for St John Ambulance; those on my bookface list will already know how to sponsor me.


The calibre of people I have to deal with Part 1

I was trying to get a list of contact email addresses for SJA peeps. One person was adamant that he didn’t have an email address.
“You’re sure you don’t have an email address?” I asked
“Yes, quite sure”.
“So you never send or receive email – even on a personal account”
“No, never”
I return to the desk to cross his name off my list. At which point he offers: “I do have a gmail address”.


The calibre of people I have to deal with Part 2

Someone (else) brought in their documents so I can check their ID on a DBS renewal. When I went to the DBS system I couldn’t find their record.
“Have you actually completed the form?” I asked.
“No”
“Then how do you expect me to check your ID?”


Random music finisher

This song was on the radio:

It reminded me of the time I met Timmy Mallett*. That sounds like a tenuous link so I better explain.

At the time (c. 1981) Timmy Mallett presented a show on local radio, and did a weekly “juke box jury” feature where local children were invited to the studio to appraise the latest releases. For some reason that I’ve forgotten, my sister and I were invited to take part. I can’t remember a lot about it, other than my sister’s comment on one song: “it’s like something my dad would listen to”. Anyway, the song that we voted the best of the selection was “The Tide is High”. I have no idea what any of the other songs were – but think there may have been an Elton John one in there somewhere.

One other memory from the event is that it was my introduction to the deception of broadcasting. At the end of the feature, we could break up the records that we disliked the most – listeners could hear the satisfying cracking of vinyl. When it came to this section, Timmy Mallett passed us some different discs, explaining that “these will be easier to break”. Nothing to do with ease at all – it’s just that these were the promotional discs of songs that didn’t even make it to airplay.

*A one-time Children’s radio/TV presenter who was never particular good and never went on to do much else. He may have been on “I’m a nonentity; give me some publicity” once upon a time.

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