I have still to try Sangria

As my title may suggest I have never been to Spain ever in my life. But I booked up a weekend in Barcelona with a mate and headed over for a holiday.

Many people I know in Scotland have been to Spain and some people I know will only travel to the same resort every year for a holiday. The UK has a great TV show called Benidorm. It is a sit com set in and around a holiday resort in Benidorm. For me the show is at times very truthful in its portrayal of the UK holiday maker going abroad for sun. Basically many British when going abroad don’t research where they are going, so when they get to the resort they want it to be like the UK. Benidorm is full of McDonald's and chip shops as the majority of the travelers are from the UK. This is something I always hated about a holiday to a resort and I have never done it and never will. The stigma of the Benidorm package holiday has lasted my whole life and even goes out with Spain, Greece, Portugal, Egypt and many more countries I have had a mental block on going to due to the British holiday maker demanding UK food and customs.

I as many people know love to travel and when I do I want to get away from anything I have when at home. That includes computers (much of my working time is at a PC), TV, eating much of the UK diet and the most important one the BRITISH PEOPLE.

I have went to Barcelona mainly as the architecture is so well documented and as an Cad Tech(Computer Aided Designer) I have a big interest in architecture. My first visual occurrence was the airport itself, a big grey building with electric doors. That is the same here but a 75 minute bus ride and I am right in the centre of Barcelona, just out of the bus station is the Arc de triomphe a stunning piece of architecture that gives your eyes a real great start to the trip. Walking about the streets trying to find our hostel was a bit tricky due to the map only detailing one street out of four but the sights of the old Gothic Quarter are stunning. I am carrying a very heavy bag containing my belongings for the weekend and the sun is very hot but I find myself walking around the gothic structures in a circle as they are so stunning.

We make it to the hostel and the two people who own and run the place greet us. I sent an e mail to the place a few days previous about the ash cloud possibly delaying or even stopping the trip. The person who serves us Catalina is very helpful and provides us with a great map and then goes on to give us hints and tips on where to go and how to get to the sights. She leads us to our room and shows the hostels facilities. We have a shower room and a balcony in this hostel, a real bonus and something I have never had. The place is a bit noisy at night but I was expecting that as we are seconds away from La Ramblas. The street is the only let down of the trip as it is nothing but a tourist market with beggars and people offering drugs, sex and well just about anything you want. We quickly nip to a pub and decide to stay away from the street and head out to more pubs frequented by more locals. We do this and find the locals very friendly and polite, few more beers and we head back to an Irish bar near the hostel to end the night with a few pints.

Next morning we get up and first thing we need is food, hostel recommends the place at the end of the road as they are quick and cheap and they are showing the Rugby for me to get a quick update. We plan to head up to the Nou Camp via the train. A ten trip ticket is only 9 Euros and excellent value, even more so after we use the service. The metro service is so clean and tidy, very little graffiti and quick service. The station has no timetable as the run every five minutes 24 hour a day. The train is clean and safe to use, plenty of cameras and also well lit. As the transport is so good the city seems to have more room for people to walk; now it does have many cars but it just feels like many few than I am used to.

Why in Glasgow we can't open up all the old underground tunnels and extend the Underground service is beyond me. It would give Glasgow so much more in the future and I am sure people would love it.

We get off at the appropriate station to see the football stadium and make our way up to it on foot. Temperature is over 30 degrees but we make it and pay the money to get in. I have no huge desire to see the stadium but Madman is really into seeing it so I go along with it. But standing on the pitch side right behind the goal is a fun experience as is sitting in the commentary booths. The area we are in has not got much to see more a living space for people so we head back to the hostel for a rest.

Out for some food and a nice we place that does tapas is our destination. I ask for more seafood tapas as we are right on the coast. We are served some nice food and a few beers before we check out a couple of bars, again mixing with more Spanish to avoid the bulldog crew

Madman is adamant about watching the football, I really couldn't care less. A pointless tournament that is only about money and nothing else, I decide to go along with it and try and enjoy myself. Again in an Irish bar but the place is packed with German women, who do look very good, so at least a small change from pubs in Glasgow where they are frequented by men. Two hours later the game is over and we head out of the pub.

I then start talking to some American guy in a bar, he speaks Spanish due to his family coming from Mexico so is known in the bar well. He asks why I am not in an Irish bar, I say due to them not having any Irish in them. He does seem kind of confused by my reply so I invite him to the one we were in last night. He instantly gets what we mean as the place is crammed with stag and hen nights and men in football tops shouting and being very drunken. Madman wanders off as he hates Americans (Much like he hates everyone else). We finish the night by smoking a joint on the La Ramblas and chatting to some local students about music.

Sunday is more a day for me and I have decided to do what I want to do today. As I have said I love architecture and I will devote almost all of the day to his. First up is the Sagrada Família‎ as you come out of the train station it is right there in front of you and on first look is not that amazing. But as you walk around it the detail and craftsmanship is amazing. Many people believe the church is still built on the plans made by Gaudí but that is not true, many of the plans and drawings are lost and even what was built was damaged during the civil war. You can see a patchwork style of building in the project. Also as a Cadtech I can see the areas designed with computers, computer designed buildings do look unique and it does seem to blend in. Gaudí was far more ahead than he will ever know.

More walking about and then to Park Güell again designed by Gaudí, it is a hard task to reach the park up a very steep hill in the sun but I make my target and so much worthwhile. The view is stunning and really takes your breath away. The park is a real surprise to me design wise as it has a feel of Britain about its design, and much like many parks in the UK it follows a similar set up. But I read the park was going to be a development site for houses but was scrapped due to lack of interest by purchasers. This is something really good as the park is so much better than some buildings and homes only the rich could buy. You get a great park for use and see the city with for free. I really do recommend the view over Barcelona, a sight that tells you every building has a story.

Now time for a quick read of me book to rest my feet and then onto the gig. Jason and the Scorchers are playing the last date of the European tour tonight. I had booked the holiday and paid for everything but when checking the bands website noticed a few extra dates. He last one was in Spain, and yes it ties in when I am over and why not go to see em again three weeks after seeing them in Glasgow. No ticket may be a problem but I will pop down and see what I can do. I get to the venue where I am told that it has sold out. Fuck. I was looking forward to the gig big style as the band really are amazing and they may not tour or make a new album for 14 years again. I explain that I am Scottish (Hey it has worked before) and travelled over for the gig. Ok a wee lie but it works she says 22 Euros and I happily pay, I am given a ticket that looks more like a jacket ticket stub. I hand it to the door man who looks says something in Spanish. The woman at the counter shouts over at him and he then shakes his head and lets me in. Great I am in, I am now up for a drink. I notice no people are really drinking at the gig only a few people have a glass. I order a beer and am given what I would say is under half a pint of beer for 7 Euros. Fuckin heck! Right I see why nobody is drinking, I only have one more during the show. The sound is fucking great in here and very loud as well. In the UK the sound levels have to be under a certain amount to curb people damaging their hearing. It is a load of bollocks as a few hours a week won't do anything to your hearing. The band play a stormer and I leave to meet Madman for a few beers before going to bed.

I was really taken back by my trip as I did expect the whole tourist city aspect to have been more so. But once you get out the main streets and into the little pubs with the locals they are very friendly and welcoming. A great few days away and I would have happily have stayed longer but due to low wages and much less sleep than is healthy for you I come home. I would happily go to Spain again but never to a resort with the tourists.

Up the Irons

 

A band that has changed the music industry more than many is Iron Maiden. A personal favourite of mine and a band who have such an understanding of the music industry they were years ahead of the record companies.

Everyone has seen the band on telly and heard the music but what you hear has nothing to do with the record industry. This isn't AOR made up by an executive in a suite at EMI or Capitol. Steve Harris the band leader and the mind behind the band made so many decisions before the band were signed in 1979 that it took four years for a record label to in fact sign them.

For a start the band were about during the punk era and many labels were signing anything that looked different. Iron Maiden was very different in looks but in music what they played was truly metal. Steve Harris turned down contract after contract to maintain the band's sound and distinct musical identity. Even now in 2010 I have yet to hear a band that sounds like them so he must have been right to do so. Many punk bands were taking the big money and making the chart friendly music that at times was very good, but where are they now?

One big change in the industry that Iron Maiden and also EMI done was to bring a picture cover to the 7" market. Many bands and artists did not release a single with a picture cover to help save money. But also the bands did not have an identity, when you see an Iron Maiden album you say to yourself "now that is an Iron Maiden Album". Instantly recognisable as a metal album/single and as an Iron Maiden release. This was a very good promotional tool and one that costs very little in comparison to paying for advertising that may not really work or show the band the way they want.

The big thing they have is the 'Eddie' character. He is on much of the bands covers and is more a comic book character than anything else. He has been painted by Derek Riggs from 1979 and was an idea he took from a hanging on the side of a burned out Japanese tank at the Matanikau River during the Battle for Henderson Field.

Derek Riggs made a portfolio of work and showed it to the bands manager, in the middle of all his work was the band's first album cover. It was not quite like what the band wanted but a few changes and the painting was done. This idea was then used for the band's first album; the album was a critical and commercial success. The artwork on two singles leading up to the album was very well thought out. The first single has someone running into an ally with Eddie waiting and the second was the banned single sleeve that showed Eddie standing over Lady Thatcher holding a knife. Due to the graphic nature of the sleeve many shops would not sell it with the sleeve but it was still a chart hit and helped to give the album some publicity. Again this was all planned for the first album release where Eddie would be seen properly for the first time.

No other band at the time had a 'mascot' like what Iron Maiden had. It was used to promote the band but mostly to give the band an identity on the shelf of the music store. More singles and albums followed with the Eddie character and the band went on to have huge success not only here but in America as well. Again with the band having a very distinctive look they seem to get over around the world with very little air play and practically no promotion.

Just about every metal band for ten years has copied Iron Maiden artwork but not one has captured the originality of the bands identity.

The band knows without airplay they would be missing vital money to play live gigs. This is where the band set up a fan club and also made a very good decision to sell their own merchandising. This has been done by many bands but they kept control of the entire Iron Maiden concept. Only products the band liked were sold, this helped to make sure the fans were not buying cheap crappy products. Also it stops the management getting money so that more money was available to tour on the next album. Iron Maiden merchandising is so unique that it still sells tons today. Everything from T Shirts to coffee mugs can be bought direct from the band.

Musically the band is as individual as you can get but another factor the band hated was the idea of a single being 3 minutes long. Most metal bands were not releasing singles at all. They again went out to release singles from every album and the hard work paid off in 1990 with a number one single. Another thing was they would fill each album as much as they can with new material. A 12" LP can hold about 45 minutes and they engineered the music and the songs to make the most of the record. So you pay the same money and get more than most other bands. This was a trend that still exists in metal to this day and they were the first to start doing it back in 1982. Number of the Beast 44:46, Piece of Mind 45:50, Powerslave 50:57, Somewhere Back in Time 51:24 and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 43:50. Even when CD was outselling the 12" they would fill the CD up as much as they could (Around 70minutes in 1992).

The band were invited on Top of the Pops in 1980 and refused to play due to the TV show wanting them to mime. This was a big thing as no one would play live on the show back then. The band refused to lip-synch and got their way to be the first band to play live since the Who in 1972. Many bands followed to the point that bands were asked if they would like to play live. I remember Top of the Pops showing some great rock and metal bands and they always stood out due to the live sound they would get on the show. It makes you want to see em live if you know what I mean.

The record industry was changing at the time Maiden started due to MTV, ok the band never invented the music video but did in a sales kind of way. The first concert to be filmed for a video release as Iron Maiden at the Rainbow. Again in 1980 when video recorders were still very expensive and so few could buy them. But the band knows what the industry would become and were years ahead of the rest. 

Iron Maiden was the first to play behind the Iron Curtain, (and did it while running about the stage with a union jack). They showed the rest of the world that you can play anywhere, playing in Poland was a real big thing back in the 80's as no band would go near. Much of the reason was due to cost as paying off the officials and the gangs were risky. And to this day they still play new places that other bands will not play. Take a look at the documentary Flight 666 where the band with the singer Bruce Dickinson as the pilot go around the globe and play to the countries that they are told they can't play due to money.

The band had a four album firm commitment deal from EMI. This is unheard of in the music industry and I have never heard of it myself. Even Oasis and all the huge bands would never have been given this deal. Most are three albums no matter what and you will get paid if it goes well. Once again the band could show that they can deliver on the deal. They had the first two albums ready to record and present the artwork to the record company for future releases. Full creative control over music, artwork and touring was handed to the band. All this and a four album fixed deal.  EMI are a conglomerate company and for this to be offered to a metal band… Wow. Just as well the band was successful. 

In a poll done in the 90s people were asked to name the most British thing they know. This was a question asked to people out with the UK to see what people recognise first of all to be British and to utter surprise the result was Eddie and Iron Maiden.

 

29x the Fun/Pain

I have been asked a good few times what my internet nickname means. Well it is more a homage to one of my most favourite songs in the world. The classic 29x the Pain by The Wildhearts. The song was written and recorded as a quick B Side to the Suckerpunch single in 1994 and released to help promote the band headline the second stage of Donington.

A very simple song and easy to play is certainly not a technical highlight by the band but it does have one great thing and that is lyrics. It was written by a man who is a huge music fan and loves many diverse and exiting bands. Nearly all of the lines have one or more references to another band or artist. The song name in its self is derived from Hüsker Dü's song "59 Times the Pain".

The 29 part is a funny one but it has been explained by the song writer Ginger as the 29^th Wildhearts song and he wrote it when he was 29.

The song was only ever put out on a B Side and is pretty much the most popular song the band play live. A re-recording was made in 1996 with a guitar into added and a reference to Richie Edwards replacing Kurt Cobain.

The single made it to 38 in the UK charts a then fell out of the uk top 100 the next week but it will always be a great song and one that many people love.

The song has a rather odd outro in the form of a mini rap called the "Duck Song". To this day when the band play the song live the audience finish the rest of the tune by singing the "Duck Song".

 

Be kind to your web-footed friends

'cause that duck might be somebody's mommy

They live in the rivers and swamps

Where the weather is always damp

Well you may think that this is the end

Well it is

 

29 has also been a bit of a lucky number for me as one time when I was a student I was down to my last £10. I was in the casino and placed it on 29 Black and won.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HfIQnDDL8o

 

29 x the Pain

 

Here, sitting in my room,

With the Replacements and Husker Du

Like a rebel without a clue

And the Beatles and the Stones

Get to hang out with Ramones

And the Pistols shot in fame

As they sing the old refrain

Like they always will again

Like 29 times the pain

 

I see Starz

And the moon is Big and Black

It's a full sheer heart attack

And the Cheapest Trick of all

Is when I here that London Call

I need something and I need it fast

I need Jason scorching past

I need to know they feel the same

Cos when they almost know my name

It's like 29 times the pain

Times the pain

And it all ends up the same

 

Kiss my Heart

Never felt that from the start

Come on make me feel like me

SLF and BOC

Give me old, give me new,

Let me know you feel it too

To the sound of Twisted Girls

There's a brave new world oh

How, how can I get down?

When I've got all my friends around

I want to be here once again

I'm gonna miss Kurt Cobain

Like 29 times the Pain

Porn for Gadgets

As we all know the porn industry is huge. And with the many ways you can get porn it can generate around $3,000,000 an hour.

That means many people are buying porn every day and over multiple formats.

Something many people who have porn will say 'it is not mine'. That is technically true as much of it is stolen or copied and sold by men in long raincoats.

Back when porn was only seen in a special cinema that was out of bounds for kids men paid like a normal night at the flicks, to walk about a cinema with sticky carpets. This was big business on its own and evidence has shown that the earliest film recording known is a pornographic film. Just think the camera was invented and someone decides instead of using it to film his birthday or a holiday they opt to make a porn film. Why? To make money.

New technology has been invented and then taken over by the porn industry. At times technology has fallen by the waste side due to it not being taken by the porn market. As people don't like to buy it legally and also due to it being banned in many countries. People would choose a certain product over another. Some of the big gadgets you have in your house were on the market with many other similar items.

Remember the VHS and Betamax war? Back in the 70s and 80s both formats bring recording into the home. And both done it well, VHS was the invention of JVC and the Betamax was the Sony machine. We all have owned a VHS, but why? The format won in the late 80's due to a great advertisement campaign by JVC and Sony claiming the film companies would not release on the Betamax format. But in truth many men opted to buy a VHS recorder as porn was easily available in rental shops and more importantly from the black market as copies. Yes two VHS recorders and a Scart cable and you can copy as many videos as you like. No real reason has come to light for the VHS victory but as we now know it was due to porn.

Amiga Vs Atari from the late 80's was a battle to outdo any. With Atari people jumping ship to Commodore and Amiga guys jumping to Atari. Did you know an employee of Amiga invented the Atari ST? And an employee of Atari invented the Amiga? No well there ya go, that is how intense the rivalry was with each company stealing manpower trying to get one over the other. Atari were doing very well outselling Amiga then for some reason Commodore came right back into it. On the black market most games were bought and sold for cut price on both machines but as the Amiga was more advanced it seem to have better graphics and it was able to do FMV (Full Motion Video). Again many people were buying the disks and copying them, at one point the table was turned and Amiga started to sell very well and won at the end of the day. This is not just due to porn but it had a deciding factor. Also the Amiga was Internet capable and again another area the porn industry would use. Subsequently Commodore and Atari would both go bust and end making any computers. This was the first time porn was seen on a home computer and started something that will never be stopped. 

The internet was a great invention and was invented so scientists could talk to each other. But it started very slowly and grew bigger over years. From 1979 till about 1993 it was used by very few people and until about the mid 90's most people could never use it. But a big reason it took off so big then was that porn was easily available on the web. Type the word 'porn' into any search and many results came up on screen. By the end of the 90's 75% of the net was porn and much of the rest was online retailers trying to get a foot in the web. Remember the dot com demise? This happened as many people really used the internet for few things. Porn being a big use and again something most would never admit to. Pizza Hut had the first online commercial website in the early 90's but they were nearly ten years away from using it to make any real money. But the porn industry got way bigger and many companies to full use of the web. People signed up with credit cards and got a monthly dose of porn with no embarrassing trips to the top shelf in the newsagents. The internet may not have had a direct rival but at the time of the internet boom many cable tv companies were going under. People had to phone the company and ask for porn and then pay for it. Internet was so much more elusive.

Next up was the digital war. DVD or Digital Video Disk. Unlike the VHS war both were technically similar with the format only being decided by the manufacturer of the disk. You have DVD - (Minus) and DVD + (Plus). Both the same but one is cheaper to make and made by the big companies at a higher yield. The DVD came into the living room with a near HD resolution and made movies look far better than VHS. It was the same a laser disk but far cheaper. At first the DVD sales were low but in the video shops the rental of porn was high for DVD. And when the recording and copying of DVDs began in around 1999 the DVD took off big time and then DVD+ was killed off due to the price of blank disks being half the price of the minus ones. Much of the DVD sales on the black market were for porn. Many other things were released on DVD like games and films but the porn sales were very high and more expensive. 

And right up to now we have the Hi Def format the HD DVD and the Blu Ray format. Again much like the VHS format Blu Ray is the technically inferior of the two but won the war due to many factors. Toshiba invented the HD DVD and had the format finalized and on the market before Blu Ray. But film companies were reluctant to use HD DVD due to the decision that Sony was building it into the new Playstation machine. But many films came out on HD DVD and many more were out on the format than Blu Ray. At one point the HD DVD was doing better than its rival. But the porn industry went to the Blu Ray market and released the first Blu Ray disk. Yup it was not a film or a tv show but a porn disk making the format debut.

The light can be seen at the end of the tunnel

A picture of light at the end of the tunnel.

Wow, Now close to ten weeks on a constant night shift and it is drawing to a close.

I have in this time growing back my balls and have been giving out abuse big time to my fellow employees.

The highlight was the e mails that went back and forth from myself and the company Managing Director. I just seemed to get more and more cheeky and insulting but done in the right way.
Basically I am right and he is wrong, a person who admits their mistakes are few and far between. This man has an idea and will not change his mind.

I am doing the night shift for a favour to him, but not long into it the knifes are out and targeted for my back. He will not pay for the extra time on site. 60 hour week is paid at a 40 hour week.
Now under the minimum wage law I should be paid minimum of £5.85. Adding up the 60+ week I find the company has in fact broken the law and in an area that is so well publicised.

The health and safety laws have been breached in many areas, again highlights are the welfare facilities. Erm None, ho toilet or washing facilities, canteen or place to store personal belongings. This is critical as the area is contaminated and you can't even was your hands before having lunch. Three of our staff have been off unwell with stomach troubles. I am ok as I am careful but many people have no experience of a site like this.

Next is the CS CS test that you have to take by law in England but not in Scotland. Yes anyone can wander onto a site up here and work with no training or even basic understanding of a work site. But the M74 JV have a rule that everyone on site MUST have this ticket. The result is that someone caught without a ticket(CS CS Card) can be dismissed by the client from the site and the company who they work for possibly blacklisted. Hey not a law as such and no courts involved but it could turn nasty and cast the company work. £17.50 to sit each person on the test is not much on a £1 Million contract.

I have talked of the night shift rules in a previous blog but they are very important and are law. No medical has been offered and we have not signed out on the 'Opt Out' contract. Two very important laws that have been overlooked here and are in place to stop cowboy companies like the one I work for doing what I am doing.

One area I have seen improve is the contact between people, this is mainly due to the contact I had with the MD. I like to know what I am doing on site as I am not daft, I can read and do a good bit. But the total ignorance of the people who I work with is a big reason why the job has went so bad. OK they have the degree and the job but no understanding of what the job involves, You still have to read up and study. If a doctor stops learning then people would still get treated by leaches for everything now.

I have been throughout the project as professional and as helpful as I can but in a company where employees have the extra few initials after the name representing some sort of professional success with no practical knowledge. Can I stay here with them if my hard work is undermined by someone who had daddy to pay for Uni?

Time to move on my thinks and a new tunnel to explore.

Keep Smiling Fletch

Been inside ere for 7 weeks now.

Seven weeks of the same four walls and the same people, now is that not a prison sentence?
Well if you call a life the only time you go out is to work and the only thing you do but work is sleep I feel the prisoners have is easy.

-7 one night a month ago and I said to my workmate that the Barlinnie inmates have got it good, it seem to have sunk in to him a few days later when he told me I was right.

We are contained in a solid cabin, much like the ones used for storing things on building sites. It has no window, heating or water. Also it has a fence round it and some sort of drainage system that looks much like a moat. I do 16 hour days and the rest is sleeping, I get an hour out to get food/water/air and that is it. Prison is what I sounds like.

When you think of prison you as a British person may instantly think of Porridge the great BBC TV show from the 70's.

I mean Fletch was nothing but a petty criminal till he got done for Breaking and Entering. What have I done to get given worse conditions than him?
I have a very nice person one one shift who is a bit dim, like Godber but a female. She is not too sure why she is here but like Godber she is unlucky and got caught once. She may never learn but goes on and on about gettin out. She should be happy with what she has when she gets out.
Mr Barrowclough is a hydro geologist, and a very incompetent one at that, the inmates seem to show him what to do and to keep an eye on em. With only new inmates to intimidate the older ones keep em at harms length at a gain to us. We need to have one of em on our side at one point and a good few favours are owed.
'Horrible' Ives is my bunk mate some days and will take anything he can get. Always on the lookout for a deal and a total grass and a sneak. He is the one to keep a secret from and to only trust a rumour with evidence.
Lukewarm is a lab rat here and is well liked by all, again just a bad day in the office and he has ended up as one of the inmates. He can do his role well here and is very good at getting the cons in a good mood.
Jock is a part time inmate here and he is a Labourer on site, he turns up here and there. Just as loud and violent as GBH original. He always does as he is told mind and is respected by the others. But he is the butt of many jokes.

I could go on as so many here are like the TV show. Mind you after all this time my mind must be playing tricks on me. Well No...

The Guvoner here is just as calamity minded but with good intent. He never gets the big picture. If it all fails he is so well in with the rich people that he will get another high powered job and never be blamed for his faults.

I will on the other hand get out and again find another stupid mistake force me to do porridge again. The next time it may be longer but I hope not.
Unlike the TV show this is not funny, Fletch can always find a joke and crack a smile but even he stopped doing that in Going Straight.

Now time to fight back

Well still on the nigtsift and it is really takin its toll.
Most of you know what the night shift is, yes staying up late and working. But I am doing 8pm till 8am. Add on three to four hours travel and it is a very long day.
In Europe you have to by law be offered a medical before undertaking te shift. Guess what company did not offer me one? Uh hu yup siree my company has not done that, I am now getting my fellow workers complaining of ill health while doing the shifts.
I have a good bit of knowledge on this as I worked before on a shift pattern and have first hand experience.
Where do we start...

Ah very easy sleep patterns.

Yes you do loose a good bit of your mind while trying to sleep at 2pm in the day. The kids outside making noise, the postman at the door, phone ringing. All the things you would expect but even after six hours sleep you will awaken to feel like you ave been run over by a steam train.
Now this is easy to have an opinion on as we have all felt tired but te way you feel is more of a mental problem. Much research done in the last decade has shown a big rise in mental disorders on people wo do shifts. It could be depression to insomnia. Not nice is it.

Missing your life/friends/family.

Ok you all do this when working but how bout not seeing yer friends at all in a six week period. Or even getting out the house. I get up say 3pm, get washed and ready to go out, on bus and at the shops at say half five. No use as in the UK most are closed about five.
It is also a bugger to meet friends as they tend to meet at weekends and I seem to be working them all the time so a few beers and a natter is out.
Seeing family is an odd one as you can again miss much of this due to the shifts. And when you do meet up you can be in a state of real sleepiness or worse (See above)

Physical Health.

As you eat at night your body wants to store the food as fat as it is thinking you will be in bed soon. My workmates have both put on a bit of beef due to eating chips and Curry's at night. Also exercising can be missed due to being knackered or just plain having no time.
After about 12 weeks you can easily put on a stone and feel really bad for it as the food you eat is so bad. Any work done before like weight lifting can be reversed and you will be back a square one.
Also accidents are more likely on a night shift due to people being more tired. I have already went roiling down a motorway embankment after tripping in bad light. Mind you it was comical so that is ok.

Something I ave seen in first sight is people develop drinking and drug problems. Even myself has at times went out totally knackered and got pished due to the above reasons.
I have seen many people turn up at work drunk and or on drugs for a night shift. Again I have told all this to my workmates and to my boss. But it seems to fall on deaf ears. We have a night out next month and I bet the two most drunken people will be the people I am working with.