Loneliness of the long distance flogger
SimonAH
Posts: 3,730
Ah jeez.
Just eaten an Italian meal for one as the only person in a glass fronted restaurant overlooking the rain slashed expanse of Poole Harbour far from the warm hearth of my family and the gentle whiff of GT85 from the workshop.
You can see it in the eyes of the waitresses... "Table for one?" they think "sad git"
Poor excuse for a life sometimes this sales lark.
Ah well, back to my reasonably priced hotel room to churn some emails, and then sit alone in a generic hotel bar listening to the braying laughter from a small group of drunk photocopier engineers from Wigan.
Just eaten an Italian meal for one as the only person in a glass fronted restaurant overlooking the rain slashed expanse of Poole Harbour far from the warm hearth of my family and the gentle whiff of GT85 from the workshop.
You can see it in the eyes of the waitresses... "Table for one?" they think "sad git"
Poor excuse for a life sometimes this sales lark.
Ah well, back to my reasonably priced hotel room to churn some emails, and then sit alone in a generic hotel bar listening to the braying laughter from a small group of drunk photocopier engineers from Wigan.
FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
Litespeed L3 for Strava bits
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
Litespeed L3 for Strava bits
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
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Ah yes, business hotels, I remember them well. Red wine and a good book used to see me through generally. Bon chance!0
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If you're really bored, try telling the Wigan photocopier engineers that they don't play "proper" rugby in Wigan. That should liven things up a little...Commute: Chadderton - Sportcity0
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Do you ever find your self wondering what town or city you're in when you wake up?I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.0
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As above, wine and a well-stocked Kindle, but I feel for you all the same.Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.0
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The very few times this has ever happened to me, I have relaxed and enjoyed it.
On these occasions, the Good Beer Guide is a boon - you can escape and go for a beer.Ecrasez l’infame0 -
Done it many times, last 10 as sales, previously as an onsite engineer where I could be living in a foreign hotel, on my own, for 6 weeks at a time.
I ate in crap hotel restaurants more often than I'd like, as there you're amongst many others in the same situation. But I often prefer a little local color which involves more effort.
If I can be @rsed to go out, I take a book...otherwise find a friendly bar and hope they serve food (and will give you a receipt that says "meal" but includes 5 pints... )Misguided Idealist0 -
Should have tried to book into the lifeboat college, they might have had a room spare. It operates as an hotel over the weekend and reverts to a college mon-thurs.I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
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redvee wrote:Should have tried to book into the lifeboat college, they might have had a room spare. It operates as an hotel over the weekend and reverts to a college mon-thurs.
Oh I did! Fantastic stay for the money that is!
Last minute and no room unfortunately so I'm in the Sandbanks tonight. To be fair, not a bad hotel, and it wasn't photocopier guys from Wigan tonight, but fire alarm guys from Italy. Still crap company with Magners at £4.30 a pint.
Ah, Poole isn't a bad end-up, to be honest I'd move here-ish if I could afford it (around half a mil for the sort of house I have in Wales).
Still, would prefer to be home right now....
G'night folks
FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
Litespeed L3 for Strava bits
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.0 -
Pop over on the ferry to Studland and explore in the dunes :shock: :oops:I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
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I can't say I enjoyed life on the road. Italians for company? Oh dear, they can get very noisy when en masse.
Reminded me of a friend that was in a hotel for a few months and every Friday morning as he checked out they'd ask if he'd had anything from the mini-bar and he'd say no. After a particularly late and stressful Thursday when asked he replied "yes, one." they asked "one what?" To which he replied "one mini-bar". He'd done the lot, even the wierd liqueurs nobody touches. He did say he felt a bit rough afterwards.0 -
Luckily for me I have never had to really stay in hotels for my Job, on the few occasions where I have had to travel to appear in court*, I have stayed in a few shoddy middle of the road hotels and I must say that I have never enjoyed it.
So I sort of feel your pain and I hope you get home to the family soon.
*as a specialist witness as opposed to being in the dock"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills0 -
Sandbanks> Right by the sea, should have taken your swimming stuff with you, we were down there 2 weeks ago, the sea was a bit chilly but lovely, calm and clear. Have a late night /early morning swim!SimonAH wrote:redvee wrote:Should have tried to book into the lifeboat college, they might have had a room spare. It operates as an hotel over the weekend and reverts to a college mon-thurs.
Oh I did! Fantastic stay for the money that is!
Last minute and no room unfortunately so I'm in the Sandbanks tonight. To be fair, not a bad hotel, and it wasn't photocopier guys from Wigan tonight, but fire alarm guys from Italy. Still crap company with Magners at £4.30 a pint.
Ah, Poole isn't a bad end-up, to be honest I'd move here-ish if I could afford it (around half a mil for the sort of house I have in Wales).
Still, would prefer to be home right now....
G'night folks0 -
I don't like eating in restaurants or drinking in bars alone. Tend to opt for room service.
The other thing I always take with me is my running gear. Even if there is no gym you can always get out for run. Makes you feel like your evening wasnt a complete waste0 -
jedster wrote:The other thing I always take with me is my running gear. Even if there is no gym you can always get out for run. Makes you feel like your evening wasnt a complete waste
Unless you end up working around the Middle East, where running is very hard; mornings were the only times I tried it and then it was inhaling sand that put me off.0 -
In my experience, hotels in the ME tend to have ggyms of some sort, no? Mainly because there is sod all else to do. The idea of being in the ME, booze free with nowhere to exercise... that's a cruel and unusla punishment isnt it?0
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I spend a good 100 nights a year in hotels etc and often many more. A lot of my acquaintances think that all this travel must be a lot of fun - and to be sure it has its moments, but nights spent in far away hotels are not among them. It is very lonely and kind of depressing and, oddly enough, becomes even more so when you are staying somewhere nice since it seems such a waste that your better half can't be there to join you.0
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jedster wrote:In my experience, hotels in the ME tend to have ggyms of some sort, no? Mainly because there is sod all else to do. The idea of being in the ME, booze free with nowhere to exercise... that's a cruel and unusla punishment isnt it?
True but at the time I was working for an outfit that rented dodgy apartments for all the engineering staff; 6 months and no running or cycling, other than the jaunts to New York to visit alleged "consultants"....was very glad to leaveHoopdriver wrote:I spend a good 100 nights a year in hotels etc and often many more. A lot of my acquaintances think that all this travel must be a lot of fun - and to be sure it has its moments, but nights spent in far away hotels are not among them. It is very lonely and kind of depressing and, oddly enough, becomes even more so when you are staying somewhere nice since it seems such a waste that your better half can't be there to join you.
+1, for about 10 years I was travelling and living anywhere but home, at one point I even gave up on having a base, as there just didn't seem a point. Now that seems to have disappeared and am quite enjoying the being in one place for 90% of the year0 -
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I always struggle to sleep, and end up watching CNN or bbcnews24 or whatever till the very early hours.0
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Me too. For some reason I seldom get a good night's sleep in a hotel, partly I think because you can't open the windows and the rooms become stuffy, and partly because I am always jet-lagged and the beds are always arranged to look good rather than be comfortable - rock-hard pillows and fussy coverings etc.PBo wrote:I always struggle to sleep, and end up watching CNN or bbcnews24 or whatever till the very early hours.0 -
Hoopdriver wrote:
Me too. For some reason I seldom get a good night's sleep in a hotel, partly I think because you can't open the windows and the rooms become stuffy, and partly because I am always jet-lagged and the beds are always arranged to look good rather than be comfortable - rock-hard pillows and fussy coverings etc.PBo wrote:I always struggle to sleep, and end up watching CNN or bbcnews24 or whatever till the very early hours.
Take your own pillow.
This really works. You get VERY odd looks but frankly I don't give a fig.Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
2011 Trek Madone 4.5
2012 Felt F65X
Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter0 -
Kieran_Burns wrote:Hoopdriver wrote:
Me too. For some reason I seldom get a good night's sleep in a hotel, partly I think because you can't open the windows and the rooms become stuffy, and partly because I am always jet-lagged and the beds are always arranged to look good rather than be comfortable - rock-hard pillows and fussy coverings etc.PBo wrote:I always struggle to sleep, and end up watching CNN or bbcnews24 or whatever till the very early hours.
Take your own pillow.
This really works. You get VERY odd looks but frankly I don't give a fig.
If its good enough for Team Sky...Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
Sun - Cervelo R3
Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX0 -
Not a bad idea at all...Kieran_Burns wrote:Hoopdriver wrote:
Me too. For some reason I seldom get a good night's sleep in a hotel, partly I think because you can't open the windows and the rooms become stuffy, and partly because I am always jet-lagged and the beds are always arranged to look good rather than be comfortable - rock-hard pillows and fussy coverings etc.PBo wrote:I always struggle to sleep, and end up watching CNN or bbcnews24 or whatever till the very early hours.
Take your own pillow.
This really works. You get VERY odd looks but frankly I don't give a fig.0
