Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[van ordinaire]

Surely I'm not the only one W. of Zummerzet? (apart from our bipolar friend in Cullompton).

Too late I remembered I'd meant to throw in a plug for DVLA's MoT history service: quite a good way to get a feel for a car; e.g. I rapidly lost interest in a Coupe Deville, being sold for loss of storage (common in Yank circles) when I discovered the MoT expired in 2011 - then there was the STS (I don't really want ANOTHER one but it was my favourite colour - & a good price) - with advisories about rusty brake AND fuel lines going back years. That Deville Concours that turned up in a MK supermarket carpark, however, checked out well (but it disappeared off ebay as quickly as it appeared). The C15's I've checked have blended into 1; all boots/gators, repeater indicators & tyres.

[Zelandeth]

The service is really useful. Was particularly handy when looking at one car which the dealer was claiming was immaculate and like new underneath - but had needed welding for every MOT going back about five years. Was a useful way to open the "okay, really what state is it in?" conversation.

I've got an app on this phone which simplifies accessing it too.

[Zelandeth]

Well I'm currently sitting here, it's just gone 01:00 in the morning, I'm wiped out, and dearly want nothing more than to go to bed. However I've got another 45 minutes until I'm allowed to, courtesy of the last appointment with a supposed therapist to help deal with my sleep issues. Current step is to "train" my body that bed is for sleeping, not laying awake and maybe getting to sleep, worrying about it etc. That means however that for the next month, I'm only allowed to be in bed for the amount of time that I'm sleeping on average a night - about six hours. So assuming an 08:00 wake up time, that means I get to go to bed at 02:00...yaaaaaaay...all in the aim of "improving my sleep efficiency." At what cost to my sanity, I do wonder.

I should point out as well that half the documents that they wrote out for me from the last appointment have now been scribbled all over in red pen by me as they apparently can't calculate percentages for toffee, and the numbers were way off as a result. C'mon folks...it's basic math. In fact, it's not even basic math...it's basic knowing how to use a calculator.

*smashes face repeatedly into keyboard*

On the other hand, it has meant that in the last two evenings I've completely caught up on the filing and scanning backlog! Also have syncronised the document folders on the desktop and laptop PCs, updated all the backups, local, network and offline, and have securely wiped a dozen Zip discs a friend has asked for. This evening has been craft project time, but I've stopped as of about half an hour ago because I'm tired enough that I know I'm going to do something stupid if I keep at it - and fatigue is a very bad thing to throw into the same mix as very hot hot glue, *very* sharp craft knives, sewing needles and very expensive material. Just trying to retain my sanity (and keep my eyes open) for the next 30 minutes or so before I can go and collapse. I did to go speak to the dog, but he just grumbled at me and curled into an even tighter ball after briefly glaring at me in a "what time do you call this? Go to bed you idiot..." sort of way for a few seconds. So I'm rambling nonsense at you lot instead.

Tomorrow I think it's time to get some new website material actually finished - I must have a dozen pages for that poor thing half written just needing to be finished and published - yet last time I made any changes that weren't just fixing broken back office stuff was...July 2015. Sheesh...Lazy or what...

[CitroJim]

Hope the sleep therapy work Zel... I'm most interested in the outcome due to my own difficulties with the same subject...

At least you've made good use of your wakeful time, just as I do!

[Michel]

For the first time in many years, I've actually not been sleeping too badly the last week or so, despite much stress and anxiety. Working nights, my sleep has been pretty screwed up for a while anyway. Seeing as we've been outsourced and there's nothing to do other than "reverse shadow" our new Indian colleagues, I, er, invested in an air mattress, and actually got more sleep the last 3 nights than I would have at home

[CitroJim]

I, er, invested in an air mattress, and actually got more sleep the last 3 nights than I would have at home

That's a great result Mike Reminds me of when I did duty 'sleeping watches' many years ago when working nights in a comcen...

[Hell Razor5543]

Well I'm currently sitting here, it's just gone 01:00 in the morning, I'm wiped out, and dearly want nothing more than to go to bed. However I've got another 45 minutes until I'm allowed to, courtesy of the last appointment with a supposed therapist to help deal with my sleep issues. Current step is to "train" my body that bed is for sleeping, not laying awake and maybe getting to sleep, worrying about it etc. That means however that for the next month, I'm only allowed to be in bed for the amount of time that I'm sleeping on average a night - about six hours. So assuming an 08:00 wake up time, that means I get to go to bed at 02:00...yaaaaaaay...all in the aim of "improving my sleep efficiency." At what cost to my sanity, I do wonder.

I should point out as well that half the documents that they wrote out for me from the last appointment have now been scribbled all over in red pen by me as they apparently can't calculate percentages for toffee, and the numbers were way off as a result. C'mon folks...it's basic math. In fact, it's not even basic math...it's basic knowing how to use a calculator.

*smashes face repeatedly into keyboard*

On the other hand, it has meant that in the last two evenings I've completely caught up on the filing and scanning backlog! Also have syncronised the document folders on the desktop and laptop PCs, updated all the backups, local, network and offline, and have securely wiped a dozen Zip discs a friend has asked for. This evening has been craft project time, but I've stopped as of about half an hour ago because I'm tired enough that I know I'm going to do something stupid if I keep at it - and fatigue is a very bad thing to throw into the same mix as very hot hot glue, *very* sharp craft knives, sewing needles and very expensive material. Just trying to retain my sanity (and keep my eyes open) for the next 30 minutes or so before I can go and collapse. I did to go speak to the dog, but he just grumbled at me and curled into an even tighter ball after briefly glaring at me in a "what time do you call this? Go to bed you idiot..." sort of way for a few seconds. So I'm rambling nonsense at you lot instead.

Tomorrow I think it's time to get some new website material actually finished - I must have a dozen pages for that poor thing half written just needing to be finished and published - yet last time I made any changes that weren't just fixing broken back office stuff was...July 2015. Sheesh...Lazy or what...

A few months ago I saw a program (on the BBC, 'hosted' by a former GP who had given up practising, as a doctor with a fractious bedside manner (due to lack of sleep) does not come across well with his patients), and (in an un-scientific test) four people tried out 'cures' for insomnia they had found on Google. All four 'cures' they tried worked to varying degrees, and each person tried one 'cure' for a week or so. The three I can remember are;

2 kiwi fruit just before going to bed,
A hot bath (as hot as you can comfortably manage) before going to bed, and then getting into bed when the room had been cold, 15C, IIRC (tricky in the summer),
A pre-biotic (NOT PRO-biotic) drink (it was a powder into a glass of water) just before going to bed.

The GP tried the last one, and the graphs showed he got more sleep each night, and it was 'proper' sleep.

[Zelandeth]

Interesting. As it is, I'm just going to stick out this course as at least once the box is ticked saying it's been done my GP will quit hassling me about it.

Took the Lada out for a run for 10 miles or so of dual carriageway at a brisk pace (still hilarious seeing people's faces when they see it howling along the outside lane rather than trundling along at 40), and it didn't miss a beat. Previously it had been starting to carry on as soon as you got anywhere near 70, so maybe we were just looking at a combination of a couple of vac leaks and an ECU reset being needed...time will tell I guess.

[CitroJim]

That is excellent Zel, fingers crossed that time will tell it is all now fully fixed

[Zelandeth]

Fingers crossed indeed. Once the spare throttle body materialises I still fully intend to pull the injector for a proper clean (may even look at getting it done professionally), but as it's working just now *touches wood* I'm leaving it well alone in case I break anything!

I hate intermittent problems as you never know when you've fixed them!

[CitroJim]

I hate intermittent problems as you never know when you've fixed them!

Same here I have a Pug 207 - enough said

They have been a constant source of 'fun' in my life and line of professional endeavour for ever... There is nothing worse...

The tales I could tell of them would fill several books!

I guess all radio and electronics engineers can do the same...

IT stuff is far from immune to them too

How's the sleep going Zel?

[van ordinaire]

My mother always said I could sleep on a clothes line & certainly sleeping (&, perversley, going without) have never been a problem - although it's only been in recent years that I've been able to get to sleep before midnight (so, for most of my life that's been my bedtime - & always after a black coffee!). On the odd occasion I have had a problem, it's been waking up early, & not being able to get back to sleep - so I just get up. Most insomniacs seem to stay in bed tossing & turning, then spend their waking hours bemoaning the fact SO, I was very interested that you guys use the time you don't/can't sleep productively & it makes me feel a bit better because I've always been afraid that my "well, if you can't sleep, get up" attitude, at very least, showed a lack of understanding.

I always considered TV to be a great soporific, in the last year or so I've discovered that a couple of beers work pretty well (always, in my case, unintentionally)

& finally (on this subject, if not for tonight), something that's always stuck in my mind from a cousin's physiology degree course, is that the following night the extra sleep you only need is only 1/2 the sleep you lost the night before to catch up.

[Zelandeth]

I think one of the trickier things to explain is the difference between "someone who's not a great sleeper" and someone with insomnia. There's a big difference between not being able to sleep when it's convenient for your routine and not being able to sleep even when your body really needs to.

In my case when I'm going through a bad spell I've seen me so tired that I can't speak, can't keep my eyes open, often can barely move, and it takes several seconds for me to even get my eyes to focus on someone having walked into the room - but I still can't actually fall asleep. The best description I can come up with is that it's like waking up with the worst hangover imaginable, but without having got to enjoy it first!

Thankfully it's rare I have days that are that bad, but they do still happen sometimes - and that's before the odd migraine decides to throw itself into the mix, which is what usually happens when I get too sleep deprived - at which point my body essentially shuts itself down for about 12-18 hours and restarts.

[van ordinaire]

My mother really was an insomniac, she had trouble sleeping at all without tablet she was prescribed - but wouldn't take, because she was afraid of becoming adicted.

My use of the word was, however, inaccurate, what I meant was "people who couldn't sleep"

Not sure where I fall those odd mornings I awake after, probably, no more than 2 or 3 hours - so clearly do need to sleep - but can't. However it is so rare it's not really worth a thought, much less, a problem.

[CitroJim]

I slept very well on holiday and it seems to have continued upon my return home...

I slept longer last night than I have for months I woke up at 06:30 after retiring at 20:00 last night; a record for me