For any facebookers who knew Dan B

Just realised I don't have Dan on my Facebook
friends,

I've set up a group for his friends, family, colleges, ex's etc to
leave messages put up photos or videos of him that they have.

Search for "Dan Bayes In Memorium"

Anyone got a good photo of Dan looking happy with a big shit eating
grin for the group profile photo, or if you just want to say hello and
that you met him?

 

Wasn't a friend, then?

Oh, pur-leeeeeese.

Lovely. You can't even spell.

Lots of people may remember him, fondly or otherwise. I bet you're one
of those people who leave bunches of flowers tied to Armco barriers.

 

TBH, I've had many a real and virtual meetup with the guys over on
uk.rec.cars.modifications.

Wasn't until someone mentioned that Dan's mate had updated his page with
how much worse he had gotten over night, then again that he had passed
on, that I realised, I didn't have some of my closest mates on facebook
at all. Let's face it, Dan is hardly going to be able to add me now is
he.

As for roadside shrines, they are the biggest waste of effort going, as
for spelling errors, big wow, the sentiment says more.

As it happens, even though he was close to half my age, I have more
respect for him than almost anyone I know locally. I personally don't
think I could have put up with half the suffering he did, without
pissing and moaning a bit, and at the very least being a bit down about
it. He was a shining example of a decent human being, and I don't mind
saying it. He needs to be remembered, and sad though it is, a facebook
group is one of the easiest centralised permanent fixtures that can be
setup and become self maintaining.

Not everyone who would have liked to have been there would be able to
attend the funeral.
Not everyone who can attend will be able say their piece. This gives
people a chance to do that.

 

There are some more discussions going on over in
uk.rec.cars.modifications

Even thoughts of a small personal wake for him, after the official
proceding, at Wetwang chippy, and possibly a collection of some sort
(nothing finalised) for those who can't make the funeral, to be given to
the family, for them to donate to their choice of charity.

The facebook group isn't anything to do with the family yet, but if
possible I would like them involved (I've asked people to pass the
details who knew them offline). Just felt I needed to do something for a
good kid, and a thoroughly decent bloke who just got on with things.

 

"Rainbow Bridge"

 

My new hamster only lasted a week.

 

Yeah, got a credit note. Came from a bad batch - they had a room out the
back full of dead or dying hamsters. I reckon that'd make a wicked
substitute for a hall of mirrors at the funfair. "The house of dying
hamsters".

Went back on Saturday for a replacement but they had none. Ended up in
Croydon whereupon V decided she wanted gerbils instead. So now I'm 85
quid poorer, have an unused hamster cage and three hyperactive vermin in
the mother of all gerbilariumms the living room throwing sawdust around
like confetti.

And every time I try to say "gerbilarium" I get a mild fit of the
giggles. Curse you, South Park.

 

Hamsters are crepuscular, so allegedly awake mornings and evenings (but
in reality sleep all the time). Gerbila are diurnal, so awake during the
day.

 

Yeah. They're quite entertaining - three hour bursts of complete frenzy
(especially if there's a bogroll inner or a few tissues to attack)
followed by a couple of hours of rest. And they move like bad stop-
motion animation, Ray Harryhausen style - brief, quantised movements.

Piss stinks a bit, mind.

 

Well, you've made me laugh, in case that makes you feel better.

 

The only key things are food and water. So long as they have both,
they're OK (and they can go without food completely for days). I had a
spout pack up on a water bottle and the hamster was practically
dessicated before we realised what was wrong.

I'd say a week is do-able but I'd fit two water bottles to be on the
safe side) - anything more than that and I'd be having someone check at
least once a week that things don't need topping up.

Hamsters drink less and hoard food more, gerbils seem thirstier (though
there are three in this cage so the consumption's not surprising). On
the other hand, hamsters are a bit shit as all they do is sleep, eat and
shit.

They're desert animals so it's highly concentrated. The smell does
subside fairly quickly but I can tell when one of them's just had a
squirt, especially if it's in the wheel rather than down in the wood
shavings where it'd be quickly absorbed.

 

These have done more in three days than our hamster did in two and a
half years.

Doesn't seem to. Well, not since I took the wheel out and cleaned it,
anyway.

 

Tell me it isn't so.

 

Try a gentler vacuum cleaner.

 

Wetwang chippy is actually worth the 130 mile drive from here. It's a
comically named place and Richard Whiteley used to by Mayor or summat.

Anywhere with a silly name, decent food and the bonus of Twice Nightly
as the ex-mayor has to be worth a visit.

--
Pete M - OMF#9

Range Rover V8 Turbo
Volvo 850 T5 CD Estate

"Wait! We can't stop here, this is Bat Country"

 

A mate once got 3 for his kids. Unfortunately owing to a sexing
error[1] he finally ended up with gerbil city in his garage, divided
eventually into male and female with around 30 of the buggers.

[1] We had a similar scenario with Russian hamsters.

 

That's utterly surreal.

 

How about a ferret?

I was at my mum's a couple of weeks back and her neighbours were out
walking their three. They were quite cute...

They also have a red-tailed hawk, which is quite a menagerie for a
small house in the cul-de-sac where they live.

 

Some great roads round there, watch for the cops though.