Be Excellent To Each Other

Free Labubu’s.

Labubus are nothing more than Gen A Monchichis and I will not be convinced otherwise.

Apparently about two thirds of Students have a job, I know they don't pay income tax on that at the moment, but you could make them pay 1% income tax on it if they don't vote.

Also you could increase the student loan interest rate by 1% if you don't vote.

It's not perfect, and I'm sure there are invasion of privacy concerns, but it was just a sleepy thought I had

Even knowing the context for this, my first thought was "ooh, which one? Cumberbatch?"

TRAVEL REVIEW Eurostar is very fast and convenient and everything, but the bits at each end of it are absolutely terrible.
Fly, instead, gang

England and France?

Oh, you're on the replacement bus service to Wrongton-on-Sea, via Wrongford, Wrongsville, and Wrongville Parkway here.

Yes, Brussells Midi and Gare Du Nord are shit, but you're in the centre of town and in the main station so can easily get on the next train to somewhere good (Cologne or Nice, perhaps).

You're also not stuck in an uncomfortable tube having fought with other passengers for overhead cabin space, and can even wander up to a bar.

You also have the tedious formal stuff at the start, so no faff at the end (why aren't we in either the EU and/or Schengen? That would make it so much smoother - sort it people)

Far, far superior.

Agreed. Eurostar - and I've been from London, Brussels and Amsterdam in the last few months - is lovely. It's a faff if you're there mega early, because waiting space is limited. And probably if you're a bit late. But otherwise, bloody brilliant.

I can’t mentally get past the idea of being in a tube under the sea.

My claustrophobia says nope.

It's the utterly shit waiting areas that ruin it all . And when it's 2 hours 20mins from London to Brussels, am hour in them before I get on the train makes it shit

What about under a hill? Rock is more dense than water, usually.

I. I agree with Mali! The waiting area is awful in st pancras. Gare du Nord is only slightly better and that's if your want to buy a watch. It's like the old joke about how Brits ruined fast food by adding queuing. All the positives of the location and no tube are mitigated by pointlessly waiting for hours in advance followed by the god awful taxi rank at Gard du Nord.

Still, saucisson in a bag on the train.

Not a euphemism.

Maybe

I feel like rock should be more comforting, and I’ve tried to see it that way, but phobias don’t play well with good sense and the idea just won’t settle in my head.

Every once in a while I decide to have a bit of a news blackout and I always feel better. But then after a while I start reading the BBC News page or seeing news stuff on Reddit and it just puts you back in some sort of weird fight or flight mode.

But they reckon that the 'September Reset' is the new 'New Year's Resolution' and we're still vaguely in it, so I'm going to try to avoid the news again.

Thing is, I live in a village up North (having grown up in London) and if I never read the news I wouldn't really be bothered about Putin, Trump, Farage, Israel, all these flag pricks etc etc. It'd be happening and I'd be blissfully unaware. It's not like I can change it.

Anyway, I'm telling you lot. It starts with me going back to putting my phone on a charger nowhere near my bed so I don't doomscroll when I wake up. Also, I need to stop eating jelly sweets for a while too.

Reset!

Sounds like a good thing to do, might join you and spend my time more productively.

Happy 50th Grim...!

Three years to go before that happens.

Giphy "cheeky little shit":
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTNiYzllNzE3NGpwYmJuN2h1NDJwN3lmYWZwNWlrdnk5NDBreDF1Z3JlcXFsejNnMiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/dCWQWqUh17j6k7ccMs/giphy-loop.mp4

Happy 47th Birthday, Grim… x

Happy 53rd Birthday, Grim...!

Happy Grim day...

Happy Birthday Grim...!

Giphy "grim... birthday":
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTNiYzllNzE3b2tkenNmend6YWpkcGc2eTloZXN2cW8yM3NuYzFlM2Nzdmh2d3V5cCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/o7NrJPlJjI6PbqRY1p/giphy-loop.mp4

Happy Grimday, Birth…

Happy Bidet!

Autumn has arrived.

Dr Z, I say this as someone who loves you: hide them damned wires, sir.

Having just been on the Eurostar from Paris Nord last night, I confidently describe it as a fabulous way to travel (though I liked the ICE from Innsbruck to Stuttgart, and that from Karlsruhe to Paris Est, even more). I can, though, see why that large queue at Paris is a source of tension for some - especially if, as it was for me, the previous train is leaving close to yours (8:35, mine at 9:07). That means they prioritise the previous one, so the queue is static for a good while. For a particular kind of English person, like the young besuited one next to me, this is torture - it's a system you can't game, or jump, you watch it for a few minutes and are therefore convinced you know better, and yet you just have to trust it. "This is the worst thing Oi've ever done in moi loife!" he said (loudly). I was there at 8, stood still a lot, was through by 8:45 and sat down a few minutes later. Another Brit got on a few minutes later and declared confidently that he'd experienced chaos, and there was no way we were leaving on time.

We left at 9:07, of course. But what is an English person's life without not understanding a system, and complaining about things over which they have no control?*

* Casting no aspersions on you Malia, but I had a blissful week in Norway, then was around a lot of English people in Germany and Christ, the things my people complain about is astonishing. Possibly the Norwegians/Germans/Austrians did, too, but I can't understand them.

How do we all feel about the ‘C’ word on the forum?

Ok, I hope, because I’ve just got my

We've had a bit of a rubbish year in 2025, so the plan is to put the decorations up mega earlier this year, possibly the week after Remembrance Sunday to cheer us up a bit

Happy Birthday MaliA!
Giphy "malicious afterthought birthday":
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTNiYzllNzE3c3k5cGFoenczeGV4dmV6eXZzZzRmdGJsOGN4dGI1b3JmNnJhcmtwdiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/oLIuUDUhivY3SRAJMd/giphy-loop.mp4