Vor you, Tommy, ze fire drill iz oafer...

We have just had a timed fire evacuation exercise. The system is clearly being refined as the powers-that-be announced that it would start at slightly different times on different floors. Presumably to stop the staircases getting congested. So, realistic, eh?

We were told that the alarm would not ring this time as is the usual custom, we would, instead, be told when to leave by an announcement over the tannoy. Imagine my surprise, then, when approximately ten minutes late, a voice pops up with “EVACUATE THE BUILDING NOW! and then politely reminds us to check in with the floor wardens.

Since our floor warden is also our divisional manager, and we have just been redeployed, the usual joke of “I am Spartacus” was not employed since we do not yet know her sense of humour.

Still, it was half an hour out of the office and a nice chat instead of work.

Vor you, Tommy, ze fire drill iz oafer...

We have just had a timed fire evacuation exercise. The system is clearly being refined as the powers-that-be announced that it would start at slightly different times on different floors. Presumably to stop the staircases getting congested. So, realistic, eh?

We were told that the alarm would not ring this time as is the usual custom, we would, instead, be told when to leave by an announcement over the tannoy. Imagine my surprise, then, when approximately ten minutes late, a voice pops up with “EVACUATE THE BUILDING NOW! and then politely reminds us to check in with the floor wardens.

Since our floor warden is also our divisional manager, and we have just been redeployed, the usual joke of “I am Spartacus” was not employed since we do not yet know her sense of humour.

Still, it was half an hour out of the office and a nice chat instead of work.

It's déjà vu all over again

I have just got back into the office after being chucked onto the street for a second time when the fire alarm went off for real (except that there was no actual fire). I must say that when the sirens are going, the announcements are far more polite.

Anyway, just to show that no plan survives contact with the enemy, when I got to the assembly point there was no one there I recognised. All the little placards were missing and I couldn't find the gaffer to check in. Wherever she was, she wasn't in the usual place.

Fantastic!

It's déjà vu all over again

I have just got back into the office after being chucked onto the street for a second time when the fire alarm went off for real (except that there was no actual fire). I must say that when the sirens are going, the announcements are far more polite.

Anyway, just to show that no plan survives contact with the enemy, when I got to the assembly point there was no one there I recognised. All the little placards were missing and I couldn't find the gaffer to check in. Wherever she was, she wasn't in the usual place.

Fantastic!

Jai Guru Dave

I haven't been Up West¹ for a couple of months now, I think. London Transport's seemingly never-ending weekend engineering works between East Finchley and Camden Town have made the trip down too much hassle. I decided therefore to come home via the West End tonight so that I could pop into Forbidden Planet and pick up some comics and stuff.

I don't read many comics these days. My heyday was in the mid 80's to late 90's and then my interest sort of tailed off. Maybe I am growing up at long last²... Anyway, despite that, I still pick up the Ultimate Fantastic Four: the FF were always my favourites as a kid and I am enjoying this new take on them.

But I digress.

I made it to FP right enough, made my purchases and decided to mooch up to the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street for a look around. My, my I'd forgotten what a pain the West End can be early on a Friday evening. Still, I had a wander around, bought a couple of CDs - Quintessence's eponymous debut album from 1970 and Porcupine Tree's 2004 effort, "On the Sunday of Life". I mooched a bit more and then popped out onto the street for a smoke before catching the Tube home.

For the first time in nigh on twenty years, I was caught napping by the Krishna Consciousness. Particularly by a shaven headed lad in orange robes who, as it turned out, liked Doctor Who, was a bit down on Daleks, remembered being scared by the Cat People in the Sylvester McCoy period story. He wasn't keen on the new cybermen - not that he'd seen the new series - he thought they looked too scrawny and the new Doctor too young. This from a lad who reckoned he was 10 when he saw the Cat People episodes. Hmm.. maybe in repeats on UK Gold, thought I.

Anyway, despite failing to interest me in any of three books - one of which was the ubiquitous veggie cookbook- we had a nice old chat before I caught the train back. He was, as I thought, too young to know what I meant when I asked if they still used George Harrison's name to make it all sound relevant (I was conned into buying something on that basis when I was about 18. When I got the record home I read the small print that said something like "this product not endorsed by George Harrison in any way").

I left the Swami Dave being friendly to tourists while his mates bangled, bopped and tabored their merry vegetarian way down Oxford Street.

It's dirty and smelly, but I love this old city.

¹The West End of London; the main shopping/tourism/theatre centre of the city, for my US and Canadian clientele

²Looks at stuff around the room and decides otherwise...

Jai Guru Dave

I haven't been Up West¹ for a couple of months now, I think. London Transport's seemingly never-ending weekend engineering works between East Finchley and Camden Town have made the trip down too much hassle. I decided therefore to come home via the West End tonight so that I could pop into Forbidden Planet and pick up some comics and stuff.

I don't read many comics these days. My heyday was in the mid 80's to late 90's and then my interest sort of tailed off. Maybe I am growing up at long last²... Anyway, despite that, I still pick up the Ultimate Fantastic Four: the FF were always my favourites as a kid and I am enjoying this new take on them.

But I digress.

I made it to FP right enough, made my purchases and decided to mooch up to the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street for a look around. My, my I'd forgotten what a pain the West End can be early on a Friday evening. Still, I had a wander around, bought a couple of CDs - Quintessence's eponymous debut album from 1970 and Porcupine Tree's 2004 effort, "On the Sunday of Life". I mooched a bit more and then popped out onto the street for a smoke before catching the Tube home.

For the first time in nigh on twenty years, I was caught napping by the Krishna Consciousness. Particularly by a shaven headed lad in orange robes who, as it turned out, liked Doctor Who, was a bit down on Daleks, remembered being scared by the Cat People in the Sylvester McCoy period story. He wasn't keen on the new cybermen - not that he'd seen the new series - he thought they looked too scrawny and the new Doctor too young. This from a lad who reckoned he was 10 when he saw the Cat People episodes. Hmm.. maybe in repeats on UK Gold, thought I.

Anyway, despite failing to interest me in any of three books - one of which was the ubiquitous veggie cookbook- we had a nice old chat before I caught the train back. He was, as I thought, too young to know what I meant when I asked if they still used George Harrison's name to make it all sound relevant (I was conned into buying something on that basis when I was about 18. When I got the record home I read the small print that said something like "this product not endorsed by George Harrison in any way").

I left the Swami Dave being friendly to tourists while his mates bangled, bopped and tabored their merry vegetarian way down Oxford Street.

It's dirty and smelly, but I love this old city.

¹The West End of London; the main shopping/tourism/theatre centre of the city, for my US and Canadian clientele

²Looks at stuff around the room and decides otherwise...