| Driving in Paris |
|
|
| 10:03pm 25/07/2009 |
| |
I have now, for the first time since I came here, taken my car inside the Périphérique. It was entertaining to say the least, speed limits remain optional, an ability to close manoeuvre at speed is essential.
Then I hit the Arc de Triomphe. Well not hit as such but it was certainly an encounter to remember. I've never before been on a roundabout on which it was possible for someone to end up at 90 degrees to the flow of traffic and for nobody to even take any notice. There are no lanes, the idea is apparently to take the most direct route possible to the exit you wish to use. Nobody gives way unless they feel they don't have a choice, everyone is interested solely in their own forward progress. This was made all the more entertaining by the police having closed off one of the larger exits.
Once I eventually got off the roundabout I found it had been so much fun I turned round and had another go. Also I'd come off the wrong way.
Basically stick to the major boulevards, don't try to take shortcuts the one way system is Escherian. Also, don't own a large saloon car in a city that runs on tiny hatchbacks, the roads are too narrow and the corners too tight. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| What's the last thing that goes through a fly's mind as it hits your windscreen? |
|
|
| 01:22pm 05/07/2009 |
| |
We went to the beach yesterday, because it's there, because I have a car, because I can.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel
Almost certainly not the closest but it was a case of drive West until something comes into striking range and definately worth a visit. Entirely contained within the historic town wall and apart from the causeway completely isolated at high tide, at low tide it sits in an enourmous expanse of sand baked almost to the consistency of concrete.
The town sits with the abbey on top in the middle, the roads around spiral upwards and interlock at the front in the classic fantasy style that you never actually see. Living on evening shift time, by the time we'd stopped playing in the sea the town was closed apart from some restaurants and tourist trap gift shops, but it mostly revolves around the abbey sitting at the top and variegated museums.
Getting there was a case of getting onto the N12 and following it until the coast became apparent then heading straight for it, about 250miles in all. Getting back was about 200miles, but still town hopping cross country the way I like to here.
On the open road, for all our abuse, the average Frech driver is better than the average English driver. They pull out to over take, they don't do 90 in the middle lane in a 110, they indicate to manoeuvre but mostly they think that the inside lane is for driving in and the others are for overtaking.
I've just had the car serviced and put new brake pads and discs in. I know I said I wouldn't do this but the rules changed in the UK and it became cheaper to repair than to replace. Though at some point that means a new exhaust and a new clutch which might still manage to be prohibitive. The car tanked through the 450miles quite happily which looks good for doing longer journeys later in the year, though it does mean I now need to clean a layer of flies off all the leading edges.
Because I can. |
|
| |
|
Read 2 - Post |
| |
| More wheels |
|
|
| 11:44pm 28/04/2009 |
| |
My backside is now intricately familiar with every bump in the road from Hendon to St Pancras and from Gare du Nord to Champ du Mars. I guess padded shorts are in order until I'm hardcore again.
My bike is now parked in the kitchen, at some point I need to do a test run to see if I need to change to offroad tires for the commute. The 110psi 1.25" slick road tires I've got aren't really designed for offroad use. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| Driving in Foreign |
|
|
| 03:44pm 03/01/2009 |
| |
Getting across France on the A roads is as easy as getting across England on Motorways. As long as you don't misremember your chosen route and take a 50k detour. The entire country seems to smell of fermenting cow, but the roads are wide straight and somewhat over the speed limit.
Pedestrian crossings aren't designed for pedestrians to cross roads safely, they're designed to act as a pedestrian focus to allow drivers to hit more at once. |
|
| |
|
Read 2 - Post |
| |
| Somewhere to live among other things. |
|
|
| 06:46pm 23/12/2008 |
| |
I have a flat. It's just round the corner from a certain well known palace in Versailles. 78000.
Pedestrian crossings in this country aren't for pedestrians to cross the road, they're designed to distract and focus the pedestrians into a smaller area so lazy drivers can hit more of them with less effort.
Shift work isn't too bad, I'll just have to get used to it. Night shift seems to rarely have more than 5 people on so nobody has to do it more than once a year. Evening is the default shift things rotate around for obvious reasons.
The local banking system is fairly primitive, yet to reach the electronic age. |
|
| |
|
Read 3 - Post |
| |
| News and other things |
|
|
| 09:31am 18/12/2008 |
| |
If "BBC World News" is a valid example of what the bbc would be like if it were to go commercial it would be better to wind the whole thing up and sell it for scrap.
I've found a place to live in Versailles, details to follow.
I'm sure Paris is lovely in the winter but I've barely left the industrial estate since I got here. things are generally slowly coming together. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| Adventures on the London Commute |
|
|
| 09:11pm 24/11/2008 |
| |
Most people would reccomend not commuting by car in London. they're right of course.
Here's a quick selection of some of the people who've hooted or sworn at me over the past few weeks.
Pushy man in small car: Two lanes of traffic merging neatly, except him, he had to go first. That was before he discovered that his lane was merging into mine not the other way round and nearly ate a bollard.
Pushy man in big car: In this case a Jaguar, pulled up my inside at the lights obviously pushing for a race. Not particularly wanting to race I let him get ahead, but not far enough ahead that he could pull in in front of me before getting stuck in the bus lane.
Random woman: No idea what her problem was but it was aimed at me.
Nutter: Two lanes merging and determined to get ahead, ended up getting beaten by a bollard, then he tried again nearly hitting oncoming traffic.
Not watching: Him in lane 2, me in lane 4, both of us wanting to be in lane 3. He tried and failed to push me out then swung round behind to try again from lane 4.
I'm told all west is better than east but all bets are off once you're south of the river. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| Car Troubles |
|
|
| 03:05pm 14/11/2008 |
| |
I've had a word with the local garage about my clutch and they've said "what it really comes down to is we don't want to do it". It could be done, it would cost about 3 times what I paid for the car which would then occupy half their space for a week. Time to get rid of it and maybe find something in left hand drive. :( |
|
| |
|
Read 3 - Post |
| |
| Got job! |
|
|
| 08:39pm 13/11/2008 |
| |
I've been offered a job in Paris. A hint of relocation required but they'll put me up in a hotel for a month while that's sorted. Start date of 8th december.
Weeee! |
|
| |
|
Read 9 - Post |
| |
| I have a new watch |
|
|
| 03:18pm 26/09/2008 |
| |
It's the new version of the watch that Casio sent back because they no longer stock the parts to replace the battery. I'd had it for 12 years at the time.
I've just spent the last hour with the manual to set: Time, Date, Timezone, Longitude and Hemisphere.
The watch now tells me: Time, Date, Phase of the moon (last quarter waning), Tide level (low) and Bearing to the Sun (216deg).
The last one only had some flashy countdown timers for race starts. |
|
| |
|
Read 1 - Post |
| |
| Derriere Velocite |
|
|
| 11:49am 25/09/2008 |
| |
I had actually been preparing for such an eventuality but it's still a little irritating. Apparently with the new restructure going on in the city someone in HR had the bright idea of getting rid of any temps coming up to the end of their year, thereby rapidly solving the problem of what to do with them if they perchanced to gain some employment rights. My year would have been up on Tuesday 30th, apparently the message only went out to the managers last night just as I was leaving. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| |
|
|
| 08:34pm 13/07/2008 |
| |
Today I was once again amazed by the amount of car I got for my £250. I love country lanes. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| How to |
|
|
| 08:36pm 01/06/2008 |
| |
In today's how to we will discover how to get filthy looks from the police.
First turn your music up too loud
Second accelerate rapidly to the speed limit in first gear.
This will result in filthy looks from any nearby patrolling fuzz and cause any nearby patrol cars to pull alongside or behind to test your speed. The latter is best done near speed cameras as you may be able to get them caught. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| I've got an interview |
|
|
| 05:59pm 22/05/2008 |
| |
I wouldn't normally mention such things but this one is special, it's my first interview from a direct application rather than one through an agency. |
|
| |
|
Read 5 - Post |
| |
| Disembowel Meself Honourably Dibhala |
|
|
| 09:10pm 27/04/2008 |
| |
I woke up on Saturday with a bit of a tummy ache. For "bit" read it felt like someone had tied various critical bit of my insides in knots. At lunchtime I gave in and called NHS direct who asked their usual questions and eventually asked me to go to the new Whittington surgery. This led to a chat with a receptionist over whether children should be deliberately exposed to "childhood" illnesses to ensure they get them over with early. It also led to a chat with a young doctor who sent me over to A&E.
Time from being entering the Whittington to getting a sharp tap on the back of the head and going off to emergency surgery 5 hours.
There weren't any pretty nurses so I discharged myself fairly promptly today after clearing it with the doctor.
I'm now short my appendix which I wasn't really using anyway, and thanks to a tube down my throat while unconscious, my gag reflex. |
|
| |
|
Read 7 - Post |
| |
| |
|
|
| 06:42pm 31/01/2008 |
| |
Chez Pineapple is now closed for business. |
|
| |
|
Read 4 - Post |
| |
| Sheep |
|
|
| 06:09pm 23/11/2007 |
| |
As I walk into work I pass under an arch into the courtyard, on top of the arch is a sheep. Today I looked up at said sheep and discovered that it's most definately a ram.
I've been running an experiment on the flocks that walk through liverpool street station. Mostly with regards to their attitude to clothing. If I wear my old wax cotton jacket nobody gets out of my way. If I wear my leather coat most people get out of my way. If I wear a hoodie with the hood up under my leather coat, everybody gets out of my way. Avoid the hoodie appears to be built into the psyche of the average city commuter. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
| |
|
|
| 10:57am 27/10/2007 |
| |
If I get one of these with the current exchange rate and shipping, it'll still cost me less than a new one of these, whose website is always down and have hopeless customer service. Shipping being relavent because the first is built in Australia and the latter in England. |
|
| |
|
Post |
| |
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
leunnammi's journal