Redundant SCRers' "what I did instead of working"

Fireblade96

Well then, given that there are several of our number who have been made redundant, I thought we should have our own thread in which we can at least gloat about what we've done with all the unexpected free time.

To get it off to a start, yesterday I decided that since it looked like all the predicted showers were passing me by, I'd go for a long ride.

3 miles into the ride I got called by a headhunter and spent 40 mins on the phone.
The clouds gathered.....
...
I managed a whole 7 miles before the heavens opened.

This was clearly a sign that it was time to seek shelter in a pub - and the friendly barman told me to bring my bike inside out of the rain :-)



Finished my pint, there were huge new black clouds rolling in so I made a break for home and got back before the deluge re-started.

16 miles, riding time 1 hour and 1 minute - rubbish! I spent more time cleaning the bike than riding it

I promise to do better next time.

tailwindhome

Fireblade96 wrote:

I promise to do better next time.

Looks to me like you did just fine

Fireblade96

It was a lovely pint of Brakspears.
There are lots of quaint little pubs in rural Oxfordshire. I feel a summertime theme coming on....

...expect more of these pictures, workers! :twisted:

cjcp

Right, I got it in the ear from this lot, so you are too:

White saddle with black bar tape? No. :P

Gazzaputt

When I was made redundant I was more worried about paying the mortgage than riding the bike.

Unless you have a large pay off or stash redundancy is not all fun.

Fireblade96

Gazzaputt wrote:

When I was made redundant I was more worried about paying the mortgage than riding the bike.

Unless you have a large pay off or stash redundancy is not all fun.

My goodness, you're a right little ray of sunshine ! Thanks for that, I hadn't realised there was a downside.

:roll:

@CJ - white bar tape is for London poseurs who wear clothes that match their bikes
I'm a MTBer too - I still wear my Camelbak while riding my roadie

...runs for cover...

cjcp

Fireblade96 wrote:

I still wear my Camelbak while riding my roadie

...runs for cover...

Oh good God. Someone take the Wilier from him now.

artaxerxes

Where are your front and rear reflectors?


I'll get my coat...

Fireblade96

linoue wrote:

What are front and rear reflectors?

Fixed that for ya

the other me

cjcp wrote:

Right, I got it in the ear from this lot, so you are too:

White saddle with black bar tape? No. :P

hmm, I bought the same bike, from the same bike shop (judging by the sticker - and the cav location) and mine came with black saddle and white bar tape.

not interesting. just thought i'd share it.
I'll be off now

Fireblade96

the other me wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Right, I got it in the ear from this lot, so you are too:

White saddle with black bar tape? No. :P

hmm, I bought the same bike, from the same bike shop (judging by the sticker - and the cav location) and mine came with black saddle and white bar tape.

not interesting. just thought i'd share it.
I'll be off now

Noooooo! Caversham Bike Shop in Non-Matching Finishing Kit Scandal !

I can hear the Cycling Fashion Police (London branch) screeching from here.
I'd say run for it, but their lack of gears and mudguards means they'd never venture this far into the sticks

tardington

Strictly speaking its not 'commuting' anymore is it? Leave us!

petegoodyear

agreed if no job there there can be no commuting, therefore demotion to road forum.

cjcp

chuckcork

Fireblade96 wrote:

Well then, given that there are several of our number who have been made redundant, I thought we should have our own thread in which we can at least gloat about what we've done with all the unexpected free time.

Spend hours engaged in the fruitless search for employment, sending out a job application a day to firms that probably receive 300 for each position available, where you'd be doing well to hear 6 weeks later that your CV was even looked at, where the chance of getting to interview is square root of FA?

Given up looking now. The Mrs is due to pop the second bubs anytime, with wages depressed in Architecture for the few jobs that are out there, and the reality that if I did find something that childcare costs (newborn & 2 year old) + tax + transport costs would eat whatever I would earn and probably leave me with even less money, well I'm just glad that the missus is a hygienist and can command a good rate.

Just as well I have a trainer because road time is going to be at a premium very shortly...

Fireblade96

[serious]
@Chuck : I don't mean in any way to trivialise the situation you and others (and me) find ourselves in. I know where you're coming from - I've spent most of my "free" time in job-search mode, in my line there appear to be jobs out there (but no guarantee of getting one) - and I've now been made redundant twice in 2 years.
This thread is just a way of enjoying the one advantage of being out of work - I may have no income but I do have some spare time.
[/serious]

@Tardington / Pete / CJ - Don't make me go ! I've already been rejected by my employers, if my imaginary internet friends reject me too it may be too much
I still cycle to the shops (and soon to the JobCentre), surely that counts as commuting ?

(anyway, I can't go to "road", I'm too slow. And hairy. And my clothes don't match my bike )

cjcp

Ok, you can stay, but the white seat/black tape combo...<sucks air in through the teeth>

tardington

Of course you can stay!

More importantly, is that saddle bag duck taped on or I imagining it?!

cjcp

I think it's loosely strapped to the seat rails.

And, look; I've just found a picture in C+ of a Wilier Izoard Centaur Pro with a white saddle and white bar tape. See? Lovely. (I'm still riding with the black seat/white tape combo.)

Fireblade96

tardington wrote:

Of course you can stay!

More importantly, is that saddle bag duck taped on or I imagining it?!

While the Duck tape mounted saddle bag has a certain appeal to my inner bodger, that thing hanging from the saddle rails is my Montane Velo jacket - they come in a little bag with velcro strap for just that purpose.

As I took refuge in a pub at the first sign of rain, I didn't actually have to put it on

Fireblade96

cjcp wrote:

I think it's loosely strapped to the seat rails.

And, look; I've just found a picture in C+ of a Wilier Izoard Centaur Pro with a white saddle and white bar tape. See? Lovely. (I'm still riding with the black seat/white tape combo.)

See ? Ah no. You forgot to attach the picture :roll:

cjcp

Fireblade96 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I think it's loosely strapped to the seat rails.

And, look; I've just found a picture in C+ of a Wilier Izoard Centaur Pro with a white saddle and white bar tape. See? Lovely. (I'm still riding with the black seat/white tape combo.)

See ? Ah no. You forgot to attach the picture :roll:

It's in a mag-a-zine! :P

Fireblade96

Since it's a Saturday I guess this doesn't count as a "what I did instead of working" ride, but since all days are now the same to me....

.....got up this morning and decided to have a little spin. Found some great back roads and some decent hills. I stopped in Henley for a drink and a look at the map:



After 26 miles and a brief stop at the bakery, I was back on the sofa with coffee, sausage rolls and buns - just in time to catch the Tour de France.

Sometimes life is good

chuckcork

Fireblade96 wrote:

[serious]
@Chuck : I don't mean in any way to trivialise the situation you and others (and me) find ourselves in. I know where you're coming from - I've spent most of my "free" time in job-search mode, in my line there appear to be jobs out there (but no guarantee of getting one) - and I've now been made redundant twice in 2 years.
This thread is just a way of enjoying the one advantage of being out of work - I may have no income but I do have some spare time.
[/serious]

Fair enough, I waste enough time on forums, news websites and so on myself, better than staring at the wall all day and does provide some kind of social connection, bizarre as that thought is.

(ducks).

As you say, there are jobs out there, pity there are a couple of hundred applicants for every one of them, so different to just 2 years ago when well paid jobs were there for the taking. And don't you love it when you get knocked back but reassured your CV was well thought of, and they'll keep it on file? Like that will pay the bills?

On the plus side though, if you can afford it, look at upgrading your skills, with more than 10+ years in architecture I'm to start a course in December that will eventually allow me to become an RICS Building Surveyor, if I'd known about it last year I'd be most of the way through it and probably a lot closer to full time employment by now. When I do finish no guarantee of a job but I know I'll be more likely to find one, certainly looks better on the CV than a blank spot, and in the meantime someone has to look after our newborn (when he/she arrives that is)

doog442

Fireblade96 wrote:

3 miles into the ride I got called by a headhunter and spent 40 mins on the phone.
The clouds gathered.....

whats a 'headhunter' to us mere normal cycling folk :?:

or are you telling us that you are special

and who the hell answers a phone on a ride :?:

N0bodyOfTheGoat

The local cannibals were in pursuit

chuckcork

doog442 wrote:

Fireblade96 wrote:

3 miles into the ride I got called by a headhunter and spent 40 mins on the phone.
The clouds gathered.....

whats a 'headhunter' to us mere normal cycling folk :?:

or are you telling us that you are special

and who the hell answers a phone on a ride :?:

I'm usually going fast enough that I can't hear it myself

lost_in_thought

Well, so far I've not been out on the bike. Because I'm not working, I don't have to go out on a sunday, just because it's a sunday, even when it's windy and raining on and off like it is today! So I'm plotting to ride in the week, and once I've finished about 6 months worth of ironing I'm going to clean the Maxima.

Who wants to recommend me a good route from w london out to the country and back? I might do that Windsor one on Tuesday...

stuaff

lost_in_thought wrote:

Well, so far I've not been out on the bike. Because I'm not working, I don't have to go out on a sunday, just because it's a sunday, even when it's windy and raining on and off like it is today! So I'm plotting to ride in the week, and once I've finished about 6 months worth of ironing I'm going to clean the Maxima.

Who wants to recommend me a good route from w london out to the country and back? I might do that Windsor one on Tuesday...

I know I don't count, as at time of writing I'm a working person (fingers crossed that stays....)- I haven't been out either this weekend (armchair sport- F1 and that French bike thing- and weather combo). Won't be out next weekend either (got a couple of free tickets for Sonisphere at Knebworth!). Will do my weekday morning pre-work 8-10 milers though. Rain I don't mind anyway. Wind, as a scrawny weakling, I mind. And occasionally I get a tailwind, but most of the time it seems always in my face whichever way I'm going....!

cyberknight

Yes i know i dont technically count either , i still have a job but we have taken a £400 a month pay cut for the forseable future and its killing me wife and kid still eat and want light, heat etc for some reason. Trouble is there is nothing else out there.

I have a good mate who was laid off at x mas when his company hit the wall and he still is out of work

Hope you all get something soon !!!

edit weekend rides? to busy doing stuff round house and being deafened by a 2 year old

Stone Glider

When my former employers noticed how much money they were paying me for how little i had to do, I found cycling was therapy. It got me out of the house (and under the feet of the wife) and gave me a chance to think about what had happened.

The Housing Market is so stricken that I will never be employed again before the state pension arrives so i have quit the world of work. @CC I was a Chartered Building Surveyor and it provided a good income, although not hugely rewarded, for many years. A good choice in this weird employment market, by the time you qualify there should be a strong demand. When I was at college we were called "architect's errand boys"

The worst thing to do is sit at home being miserable, get out on the bike!