Positive Thinking

I woke up this morning intending to go for a 5-mile trot, but it's raining heavily - good luck to the London Marathoners! - so it may be time to bring out the long-forgotten stepper again. The last time I tried it one of the hydraulic cylinders was a bit funny and sounded like it was done for - instead of a regular foo-foo-foo-foo sound I got k-foo-k-foo. But I still like my stepper. It helped me to keep working out over the cold winter months, my Achilles heel. I might combine it with the repertoire of weights, pressups and ab-work that I also did yesterday perhaps while watching the marathon on TV.

I have to clarify something about my previous post (I had left out the finer details to spare everyone). It wasn't that I was just stuck on a train all that time on Friday (and as it turns out, on Saturday as well, dammit). I can deal with that. The direct train I normally take wasn't available, and the alternative route of getting to work meant taking three different trains to get there. I can deal with that - that's not what I'm upset about.

What I'm upset about, is:
(i) If the train company's "live travel updates" on the internet say a train is running, then please please please make sure that the information is accurate, and that it is running. I don't want to find out only when I get to the train station that trains have not been running for over two hours.

(ii) While trying to make alternative route arrangements, I called the National Rail helpline. Again, two hours into train cancellations, the woman at the other end of the phone could still cheerfully tell me "trains are running as usual". This, when I am at the train station, and only seeing ghost carriages. And I don't want to be directed to take an alternative route at another train station, only to get there and find that those trains aren't running either. And if you give information about alternative journeys, obviously give me the route that is the quickest, not the scenic routes. And some trains get to a certain place quicker, because they make fewer stops. If you're going to do a job and get paid for it, then do it properly.

It's not the fact that I had to spend longer on travelling that irks me as much as being messed around, having to work out journeys on three other trains based on flawed information. I think given the circumstances you would be inclined to agree with me that it was - I can't put it anyway else - a pretty shitty Friday and Saturday. Total time spent travelling - 13 hours. And with the pressure of trying to get to work on time - I can't have children hanging around outside class not knowing what to do - I'm starting to think "get a proper job".

The bright side to all this? At least, if the same thing happens again on Monday, this time I'm f-ing prepared.