Naoko's news, views and shoes thread

[redzinger]

Just popping in briefly to say hello. Currently going through what I call 'a paralysis of inaction' and getting absolutely nothing done.


Anyone watch The Island with Bear Grylls last night? Horrible to see someone so strong and capable despite the loss of a leg being visibly hit by PTSD. I think it would be an eye-opener for a lot of people watching that.

A more cheerful observation - can't believe that Erika is Erika Roe, the Twickenham streaker. And she's one of the biggest characters there. She may fall out with the men, but I was exasperated at how many of the other women seemed to start fawning over them.

(anyone who's not heard of her, it's worth a NSFW google. She was the object of many an 80s' teenager's fantasy.)

 

[Handley_Page]

Just popping in briefly to say hello. Currently going through what I call 'a paralysis of inaction' and getting absolutely nothing done.


Anyone watch The Island with Bear Grylls last night? Horrible to see someone so strong and capable despite the loss of a leg being visibly hit by PTSD. I think it would be an eye-opener for a lot of people watching that.

A more cheerful observation - can't believe that Erika is Erika Roe, the Twickenham streaker. And she's one of the biggest characters there. She may fall out with the men, but I was exasperated at how many of the other women seemed to start fawning over them.

(anyone who's not heard of her, it's worth a NSFW google. She was the object of many an 80s' teenager's fantasy.)

Wasn't she just.
She gave the Police a right run around as I recall.

 

[curl4ever]

...
Erika Roe
...
She was the object of many an 80s' teenager's fantasy.

Aha. I can see why.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Awww, thanks guys.


Well ... my next date is a bit less promising as he is quite a bit older and a golf nut. As I didn't really mind that much if we met up or not, I suggested he take me for a round on his links but he has modestly offered a coffee instead. I am making it a rule never to say No to meeting people if they ask about meeting up. (I mean unless they are mere children of 45 or whatever, or married or something.) You never know, do you?

I think I will ask if we can go for a pint of beer instead of a coffee. I don't get that many chances to get out and drink actual alcohol!

The cell phone thing could be a red-flag he is married, but it may not be. We haven't had a land line in five years so all I have is my cell. My wife has her own cell phone as well.

One thing two very different marriages has taught me is that you need to have things in common and things that are different. You need the things in common to keep you together and things that are different to keep life interesting.

Good luck. I hope you meet someone wonderful who will sweep you off your feet and makes your head spin. Even if it is only for a couple of dates.

 

[Handley_Page]

News of Lori: She's recovering.
Gonna take a while, I believe.

 

[MrBennet]

Hello each and all and I hope the reason for the thread being quiet is because the Lady herself is vetting men?
Perhaps introductions would be polite? I'm mid 50s and considering throwing in the towel on a long-standing business partnership and going solo. My older partner is slowly losing the plot and I'm tired of listening to him blame his PC and the Internet for everything that appears on his monitor and micro-manage experienced staff who know their jobs better than he does. *sigh* Enough is enough. Since the Lady has shown that even contracted teaching is no walk in the park, I hope I won't be lowering the tone by throwing in a moan from the ranks of self-employment? Don't even get me started on the Pensions Regulator that HMRC has vested on us.
It was all so much easily when a man in possession of a small fortune simply had to marry into an even bigger fortune.... Like our current UK premier did.
I'll go dinghy sailing tomorrow with a bunch of other old gits and lose my worries for a time in the wind.
Best wishes for a good weekend ( for those that need them! )

 

[Handley_Page]

I'll go dinghy sailing tomorrow with a bunch of other old gits and lose my worries for a time in the wind.
Best wishes for a good weekend ( for those that need them! )

May the wind be at your back.

 

[stickygirl]

May the wind be at your back.

Actually HP, Mr B probably wants the wind on his beam - from the back makes the boat rather unstable unless you're in a square rigger. Sorry to sound a bit geeky
*waves* to fellow sailor

 

[Handley_Page]

Actually HP, Mr B probably wants the wind on his beam - from the back makes the boat rather unstable unless you're in a square rigger. Sorry to sound a bit geeky
*waves* to fellow sailor

Would you like to explain that in simple terms please ?. Even as a PM or similar if you have the time.
Or point me in a suitable direction.

<Salutes a passing aircraft. .>

 

[NaokoSmith]

The cell phone thing could be a red-flag he is married, but it may not be.

I figure if he is married, he would not give out his number and risk his wife finding out he gets calls and texts from strange women. I was just thrown by it; why didn't he just say: "yes, I am free next Friday, would you like to meet in the Dog and Dick pub?" I could find out how to do the 'withheld number' thing and call him, but I had been trying hard to get a date set up with him, and at this new hurdle thrown in my way felt a sudden cessation of interest.

I have started writing about the trials and tribulations of the dating site on another thread. Let me know if you want to hear more, although so far it could probably form the topic of a 'Non-erotic' short story

Actually HP, Mr B probably wants the wind on his beam - from the back makes the boat rather unstable unless you're in a square rigger. Sorry to sound a bit geeky
*waves* to fellow sailor

Oooh! technical sailor-y talk. Curls up at Jane's feet on a cushion and prepares to listen ardently.

Jane, I have finally had two minutes to start putting your review on my blog - will probably post later to say it's up. (Unlike my few dates' manly equipment ) Just checking here, there is no naughty non-condom sex in the novel, is there?

Seriously, I would love to take up sailing. Maybe after I have had the boiler replaced, Piglet and I could get some lessons.

News of Lori: She's recovering.
Gonna take a while, I believe.

Poor Lori and Will , such a shocking experience for both. I think they have gone away for a few days' holiday, hope they can soon recover.

... I'm mid 50s and considering throwing in the towel on a long-standing business partnership and going solo....

Migosh, he sounds like a right drag. Don't let your life be encumbered with people whom out of misplaced sentiment you are supporting - especially when they are making the lives of those who work for the two of you miserable. Cut the ties that bind! and let him sink while you swim hurriedly away to sunnier climes where you can lounge in a hammock directing the efficient staff to do their tasks in a happier more relaxed yet still productive fashion.

Unfortunately, I have been absent because I have been working and coping with 'interesting' management decisions, rather than out hunting silver foxes. (Don't worry, I'm British, so of course I have never shot one ) I have lots of fascinating news about my job situation. (Seriously.) I was going to post in Blurt, but perhaps I will come here and do it. More soon ...

 

[curl4ever]

Tally-Ho, Duchess!



(and chocolate)

 

[oggbashan]

Would you like to explain that in simple terms please ?. Even as a PM or similar if you have the time.
Or point me in a suitable direction.

<Salutes a passing aircraft. .>

A sailing vessel performs best when the wind impacts the sail at an angle. This link gives you the basics:

http://www.wikihow.com/Sail-a-Boat

 

[stickygirl]

Oh - that's taken the wind out of my sails ho-ho!
Umm... in simple terms, think of the sail as a door attached to a post in the garden that can swing both ways

On a windy day, if you stand with the wind coming from your left hand side, the door is going to blowing like a flag to your right, away from the wind. Pull the door handle towards you and you can feel the force of the wind on the door, but you can easily adjust the angle with one hand without being pulled off your feet. That's similar to the wind coming from the side of the boat.

Now you stand with the wind behind you ( magical door hinges btw ) and pull the door so that it points into the wind - the opposite of what a flag would do. Which way will it swing? A change of direction can make it go either way and quite violently. Even if you manage to hold the door at an angle to the wind, any sudden gust will rip it out of your hand.
If the wind blew consistently in terms of force and direction, it would be a cinch to achieve a balance, but irl this never happens. Going downwind like this is always risky: the bigger the boat the more dangerous it can be. Oh my word!

To MrB and Ogg - I know this ignores aerodynamics, but we're talking about pure forces and vectors.

I started one race today but retired - it was stupid gusty and either me or the boat were going to end up broken. This also means you can get a cup of tea and some nice cake in the warm

 

[stickygirl]

Oooh! technical sailor-y talk. Curls up at Jane's feet on a cushion and prepares to listen ardently.

This was difficult to explain in laypersons terms but I tried!

Jane, I have finally had two minutes to start putting your review on my blog - will probably post later to say it's up. (Unlike my few dates' manly equipment ) Just checking here, there is no naughty non-condom sex in the novel, is there?

No sex at all I'm afraid! Or was there? No - it was defo a young persons, no-sex book, but with lots of thought-provoking insight.

 

[Hypoxia]

<Salutes a passing aircraft. .>

This reminds me that I'm cooking a story cycle with an unusual little aircraft: a Flymobil gyroplane. It's a bargain VTOL, a jumpstart autogyro. It can takeoff and land (but not hover) like a helicopter and fly like a small plane. Spin the rotor, lift off, then shift power to the pusher prop. To land, kill the power and descend by autorotation.

The Flymobil in my stories (set around 1995) would be a slightly enlarged 18B model, with a cabin 30x96 inches rather that the stock 24x84 inches, so 2 or 3 very friendly and fit passengers *could* be squeezed in behind the pilot's space. The engine is upgraded from a 180hp piston to a 240-300hp turbine.

Setup: Pilot Randy is a prosperous mining and materials broker-consultant with a practice of dropping-in on clients, some of whom run mining ops in remote areas of North America... without airfields. The Flymobil's 35-foot diameter rotor allows operation from a small clearing. Randy sometimes flies crews in and out of those remote mines. Some hot miners and passengers get fucked because LIT. Randy sometimes overflies people in trouble, rescues them, gets fucked in reward. Randy sometimes offers flights as enticements for sex. Et fucking cetera. I have many scenarios in mind, no problem.

My problem: I know absolutely nothing about flying a small plane or chopper, let alone a gyroplane. I want to be technically correct without bogging-down in details. I'll probably want to find a private pilot as beta-reader so I don't overmuch screw up the terminology. Is there a Flymobil owner in the house?

 

[MrBennet]

I have a hover mower MrH - does that count?

Miss Sticks (Jane?) nicely described and I too battled the spring like weather? Where do you sail?

Thank you for your encouragement Naoko, it's something over which I have agonised for some time and I feel very torn between guilt and frustration.
There is a RYA incentive next month called PTBO Push the boat out, which are basically open days for sailing clubs. There is probably one in your area... I'll see if I can find a link. You just show up and someone takes you sailing I'd be delighted to help, but I'm in the Cotswolds so prob a bit far away.
Boat sailed, grass mown, supper on the go. Where's the beer?

 

[Hypoxia]

I have a hover mower MrH - does that count?

Close enough, probably. Meanwhile, I just now received and responded to this PM:

I commend to you the Microsoft Flight Simulator (or others).
You can learn the basics of flying very well from this programme.
I'm not too sure about the Gyrocopter thingy,. . . .

Yeah, that's the trick, ain't it? I could likely get by with "he took off" and "he landed" and "he called the control tower", y'know, hand-waving and muttering, with the occasional, "I took my foot off the gas, and man alive! I shoved her down into overdrive!" Et cetera.

I'm not frantic. The story cycle is still in brain-fart stage, imagining various scenarios. Sneaking a political fugitive out of Mexico. Rescuing stranded hikers. Group sex at remote hot springs. Shipping the Flymobil to Europe (it fits in a standard container) for various adventures there, sometimes around clothing-optional Mediterranean beaches and Alpine naturist resorts. I only don't want to humiliate myself with the gyroplaning vocabulary.

 

[beachbum1958]

Close enough, probably. Meanwhile, I just now received and responded to this PM: Yeah, that's the trick, ain't it? I could likely get by with "he took off" and "he landed" and "he called the control tower", y'know, hand-waving and muttering, with the occasional, "I took my foot off the gas, and man alive! I shoved her down into overdrive!" Et cetera.

I'm not frantic. The story cycle is still in brain-fart stage, imagining various scenarios. Sneaking a political fugitive out of Mexico. Rescuing stranded hikers. Group sex at remote hot springs. Shipping the Flymobil to Europe (it fits in a standard container) for various adventures there, sometimes around clothing-optional Mediterranean beaches and Alpine naturist resorts. I only don't want to humiliate myself with the gyroplaning vocabulary.

Would this help?

http://www.gyrocopterschool.com/gyrocopter-autogyro-gyroplane/how-to-fly-gyros

 

[Hypoxia]

Would this help?

http://www.gyrocopterschool.com/gyrocopter-autogyro-gyroplane/how-to-fly-gyros

How do I give ten stars to a forum post? This is GREAT! Thanks so much for this and your PM!

 

[beachbum1958]

How do I give ten stars to a forum post? This is GREAT! Thanks so much for this and your PM!

Glad to help a fellow toiler in the vineyards, and check out the video of Gyrocopter Girl...

 

[redzinger]

Years ago, I did some windsurfing in Portugal.

The first time was a complete nightmare - I had no idea about wind or balance. Spent more time in the water than anything - only a few seconds at a time without falling off.

Before the second time, a few weeks later, I did some secret reading about using the wind and technique. I managed to go across a whole lake and back without getting wet. The people I was with were absolutely gobsmacked at the improvement.

(This was in the days when you had to go to a library to find a book about the topic, rather than Googling. Being in Portugal, this was trickier than it sounds.)

 

[NaokoSmith]

Tally-Ho, Duchess!

A sailing vessel performs best when the wind impacts the sail at an angle. This link gives you the basics:

Hullo, dahlinks!

No sex at all I'm afraid! Or was there? No - it was defo a young persons, no-sex book, but with lots of thought-provoking insight.

Great, it's only that if there was unsafe sex, I would post a warning note. (I know that's pedantic - but I am a lecturer! )

Thank you for your encouragement Naoko, it's something over which I have agonised for some time and I feel very torn between guilt and frustration.
There is a RYA incentive next month called PTBO Push the boat out, which are basically open days for sailing clubs. There is probably one in your area... I'll see if I can find a link. You just show up and someone takes you sailing I'd be delighted to help, but I'm in the Cotswolds so prob a bit far away.
Boat sailed, grass mown, supper on the go. Where's the beer?

Thank you, Mr. B! Push the Boat Out sounds like just what I need. (I live in Cardiff, so it's not that far from some parts of the Cotswolds? I'm sure there must be an event somewhere round here, though, as it's right on the coast, LOL.)

Speaking of beer, SuperMILF and her man (and child) came round to tea yesterday, and we had ham sandwiches, pork pie, pickled eggs, crisps, chocolate biscuits, some other stuff and homemade scones (Piglet agreed to make these although she was in a fearful temper about her art homework). I had got hold of a couple of bottles of Boilermaker, which is that beer Brains brew in a whisky cask and is a lot nicer than most of their mainstream beers, and we guzzled those down in between SuperMILF's man tidying up my tv leads (he has become my computer bloke, we try to arrange his coming round to sort the computers out so he can bring SuperMILF to supervise any screwing he has to do - not really, we try to sort it out so they can bring the kiddo and she can have a play with Piglet).

Years ago, I did some windsurfing in Portugal.
...I did some secret reading about using the wind and technique. I managed to go across a whole lake and back without getting wet. The people I was with were absolutely gobsmacked at the improvement.

I'm convinced! I shall go off and study Jane's, Ogg's and any other videos I can find. Perhaps I can find some on parallel parking while I'm about it ...

 

[MichaelinChina]

Hullo, dahlinks!


:

Wonderful, as always Naoko! Especially the pun above. Very clever! (In case others missed it).

 

[Handley_Page]

(Piglet agreed to make these although she was in a fearful temper about her art homework).

#
Advise Piglit to concentrate on science, perhaps ?

Parallel Parking ? See here, mayhap ?

 

[NaokoSmith]

Wonderful, as always Naoko! Especially the pun above. Very clever! (In case others missed it).

Thank you

#
Advise Piglit to concentrate on science, perhaps ?

Parallel Parking ? See here, mayhap ?

Cooking is chemistry! - and you can lick the spoon

I will check that video out and amaze everyone with my parallel parking (it will be amazing if I can parallel park that aircraft carrier I currently drive around - that's if it makes it back from the MOT makeover it's getting at the moment *nibbles fingernails nervously*).