rincewind

If there are any expats in Florida that are evacuating and need a place to crash for a couple of days, I have a spare room in south Georgia. Room enough for two.

If anyone needs any help, let me know.

Manc

so long as they mow your lawn

rincewind

sssshhhhh!!!

Franklin

Good one ... hey Matt, your avatar suggests you are from NW England - that so?

ScousePete

I take it you are an attorney, not a detective then

Manc

Manc = Mancunian.

Franklin

*nods*

Manchester ... can't say I lived there, been there a few times to the John Ryland library to look up papers when I was doing research at the Daresbury laboratory near Warrington (yeah, I lived in Warrington for a while, but also in a village called Moore, near Daresbury). I liked the Daresbury area, can't say I liked Warrington, which is what I said to a young lady over a pint in the pub just across from Warrington railway station; we lodged in the same guest house, stone throw away from the station and maybe three stone throws away from the downtown Warrington; I narrowly missed a black eye, she was Warrington born and bred and loved her town *LOL*. There's a big (being shut down though) synchrotron ring at Daresbury - used for working out the structure of stuff down to atomic level. Pretty big thing, but it is being replaced with a ring at Didcot. I didn't do work with the s-ring, but used atomic coordinate data derived using x-rays from similar kit.

Manc

congrats for escaping Warrington............seriously.

Franklin

Yeah, I don't mean to be down on any town, but "Warrington is the pits". It was that statement that nearly got me a black eye. Imho, there was only one good thing that came out of Warrington, and that was the Friday night train home. Warrington was so boring I worked late most nights at the lab to minimize my waking time in Warrington.

One saving grace was the landlady's boyfriend who was a laugh (not from Warrington); when he was around we used to watch a late show (late Friday or Saturday night), there was a guy in Manchester who had a sometimes very funny late show where people would ring him up. I can't remember the TV guy's name. He had very short hair, older guy, very quick witted and had interesting things happen on this show.

There was a statute of hmmmm, Lord Cromwell near the center of Warrington. And just north of the statute was a pretty looking building (the only pretty thing I saw in Warrington, apart from the famous/infamous gates). The landlady/guest house owner told me a story about the building, she said the owner of the Today Newspaper (Eddie Shah, I think) bought the building and wanted to gut the building and move the front of the building outwards to create the more space for new bigger offices. I guess he owned the bit of land in front of his building. The local council (I guess the relevant committee on the local council) refused his request, but they agreed to let him move the building.

Well the landlady told me that as Eddie's guys jacked up the building and tried to move it most of the building fell down leaving the front of the building intact! He got his bigger offices built - right behind the lovely front bit of the building which was what Eddie Shah wanted! Was an accident, so I guess the council was presented with a fate accompli and that was that ... leg before wicket!

mattbutt

Im up in New jersey, is south georgia nice this time of year? I fancy a holiday.

jambo_2004

So the distance to the station decreased the later you worked?
You're right, that is a f**ked up place

rincewind

We've had a lot of rain over the past 24 hours with these storms coming in.

It's been in the 90's for weeks and is fairly humid.

For places to stay/visit, try this site: Georgia State Parks

These three are closer to me and have cabins that you can rent in the parks: Inland Coastal Region

Englishmum

Where are you in the Garden State then? I'm in NJ too. We had a mini-tornado in our street and the two adjoining streets a couple of days ago and didn't have power for 29 hours.

The weather forecaster on NBC reckons the tail-end of the hurricane could hit PA, NJ or Long Island on Sunday.....

Franklin

*LOL* ... you and me both ... there is something about Warrington that makes it the pits. I don't know exactly what it is, but the pits it is. It is boring, horrible, meaningless dreadful place to live. It is the worst place I have ever had the misfortune to lay my hat.

One saving grace, I didn't live permanently in Warrington, my home as such was some 90 miles away. I only stayed in Warrington when I did graduate research at the Daresbury Laboratory. I used to travel home from Warrington most weekends to hang out with my folks - I was actually also based in Preston (I was doing a masters degree in biotechnology at what is now called the University of Central Lancashire; I did not count Warrington as my permanent home, just a temporary crap hole to live in while I was at the Daresbury Lab completing my masters research work. After Daresbury and a wee break I did a stint up in Glasgow (just over three years, PhD in chemistry), I loved Glasgow, total contrast to Warrington, Glasgow has character, Warrington seemed to lack a soul. I would have liked to settle in Glasgow, I love Scotland.

Scientists who worked at the Daresbury lab were from all over the map ... UK, Europe and the rest of the world. None of us to my knowledge were actually from Warrington. Some I knew traveled from their digs near Warrington/Daresbury up to Glasgow to see their family, one drove to Bristol like clockwork every Friday night. Some took off a few weeks at a time to return to their native country; some flew back to the USA, Sweden, you name it.

The Daresbury Lab near Warrington has taken a hit; the synchrotron ring is being replaced with a newer one, but not at Daresbury ... at the RAL near Didcot in Oxfordshire (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/676925.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2843331.stm). I know they are pretty upset about it at Daresbury (the permanent staff who run the ring, and the scientists with permanent jobs are pretty upset ... those scientists on temporary research assignments are probably less bothered about it, Warrington is not exactly the Mecca of England and they will be glad to get their research done in a lab in Oxfordshire). Warrington is the pits, imho. Said so and narrowly missed a black eye!

dunroving

I am in the process of buying a house in Warrington (Latchford). Admittedly, much of the place is pretty dour (especially the town centre), but there are some decent areas - Grappenhall, Stockton Heath, for example. The surrounding countryside and villages within 10 minutes drive are nice too.

I just spent 3 weeks of July in the Warrington area and met some very nice people. My brother has lived there since 1982 (though he's currently overseas), and I think he'd say the same - some rough areas and rough people but you can find the good in it if you look for it.