The place I work is, like most workplaces, full of in-jokes and rather cliquey and as such can be a rather intimidating experience for a newb but an absolute treat once you've been welcomed into the fold. I'll explain a little later what exactly my job entails.
There are so many Trafficlink-specific words and phrases that one of my colleagues has compiled a glossary. For me, I finally felt accepted when I got my first phrase into the hollowed text. It was an off the cuff remark I made about darts, a fondly loved 'sport' round these parts (Phil Taylor, Ted Hankey, Andy Hamilton, Adrian Lewis and Eric Bristow all have Stoke connections). You see, I love the way the darts caller says certain numbers. 180 is just hackneyed and obvious, for me the real gem is 45. The richer deeper darts caller can really roll the end of the fiiiive in forty five, that burr is a thing of beauty. A classic example can be heard here.
Now, for some reason it really tickled whoever it was I told. My impression deserved a repeat performance it would seem, and again, and again ... and again. It was soon the only the thing you'd hear of a shift at work, what fresh hell had I unleashed? It went to rather giddy heights when the whole office went out to the see the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton. Having said that, it was one of the best evenings I had in 2008! The ITV4 (yes apparently there is an ITV4) commentary even picked up on the fact that there were louder cheers on some 45's than there were on the 100's and 120's...
So once one catchphrase is embedded in the Trafficlink conscience where do you go next? Find another glossary term to get the kids raving and that's when I heard this promo on my way to work one morning. Lo and behold we had a daily Antiques Roadshow sing-a-long for neigh on a month ... thank goodness that one's finally worn off!
And what job is it I do? Well I'm one of the voices you'd hear when the traffic and travel kicks in on your car's RDS. I do various BBC local radio stations (although rarely on Stoke) and Talksport (which is a national station).
No doubt I'll bring you a few more work anecdotes in the coming weeks, including posting some of the the poems I had to write for BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, but don't worry I've still got plenty of deep spiritual and political stuff to share as well. And anyway, even if you found this whole post deeply worrying and not even slightly entertaining I know at least five or six colleagues who will enjoy my meanderings on this occasion.
There are so many Trafficlink-specific words and phrases that one of my colleagues has compiled a glossary. For me, I finally felt accepted when I got my first phrase into the hollowed text. It was an off the cuff remark I made about darts, a fondly loved 'sport' round these parts (Phil Taylor, Ted Hankey, Andy Hamilton, Adrian Lewis and Eric Bristow all have Stoke connections). You see, I love the way the darts caller says certain numbers. 180 is just hackneyed and obvious, for me the real gem is 45. The richer deeper darts caller can really roll the end of the fiiiive in forty five, that burr is a thing of beauty. A classic example can be heard here.
Now, for some reason it really tickled whoever it was I told. My impression deserved a repeat performance it would seem, and again, and again ... and again. It was soon the only the thing you'd hear of a shift at work, what fresh hell had I unleashed? It went to rather giddy heights when the whole office went out to the see the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton. Having said that, it was one of the best evenings I had in 2008! The ITV4 (yes apparently there is an ITV4) commentary even picked up on the fact that there were louder cheers on some 45's than there were on the 100's and 120's...
So once one catchphrase is embedded in the Trafficlink conscience where do you go next? Find another glossary term to get the kids raving and that's when I heard this promo on my way to work one morning. Lo and behold we had a daily Antiques Roadshow sing-a-long for neigh on a month ... thank goodness that one's finally worn off!
And what job is it I do? Well I'm one of the voices you'd hear when the traffic and travel kicks in on your car's RDS. I do various BBC local radio stations (although rarely on Stoke) and Talksport (which is a national station).
No doubt I'll bring you a few more work anecdotes in the coming weeks, including posting some of the the poems I had to write for BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, but don't worry I've still got plenty of deep spiritual and political stuff to share as well. And anyway, even if you found this whole post deeply worrying and not even slightly entertaining I know at least five or six colleagues who will enjoy my meanderings on this occasion.
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