2009 — 16 October: Friday
I must be more careful about saying things like "If I go off the air", it seems. I lost my external network connection at some point quite early yesterday evening, and it has only just found itself again. I only noticed when I was trying to access a bit of online banking. Such glitches help prevent me from going entirely "paperless" in the way that several of the banks keep suggesting.
So, my latest smile from Christa (picture taken in Old Windsor in the late 1970s) has had to wait a bit this morning (it's already 09:28 and I am so far symptomless1):
Perhaps I should be careful about saying things like that, too? I would touch wood but why bother?
When I receive a letter like this...
... from Brenda's thugs in the "Revenue & Customs" office, I could almost be prepared to believe that there is at least one deeply stupid Civil Servant at work somewhere in the bowels (best place, probably) of our State:
The only reason for paying them another £1622-40 to obtain 44 qualifying years is to ensure that my partner receives bereavement benefits when I career off Life's tarmac into the ditch. Since she slammed into that same ditch two years ago (give or take) she'd be the first to tell me not to worry about it! (There's a dishonest opportunity here, of course. I could marry a young lady, pay the topup NICs, and thus guarantee her half my State pension for another fifty years or so... No, I don't think so either!)
Speaking of benefits
I wonder what roast banker tastes like?
Barring a sudden slump in business in the final months of the year, Goldman's bankers, including 5,500 staff at its London office on Fleet Street, can look forward to an average year-end payout of more than $700,000 (£430,000) each, which would be the highest figure in the firm's 140-year history.
On a more mundane level, Brian the plumber has just done what he can to persuade a new thermocouple to glow with ruddy health, and keep me from shivering for another few months until we undertake the complete system replacement. It's 15:54 and actually sunny out there.
Speedy Gonzales
My main co-pilot has fitted a GPS unit to his electric scooter and attached proof that he can squeeze 10.6 mph out of a device supposedly limited to 8 mph.
Cool! At that speed, the fuzz will never catch up with him again. Next step: stealth technology, perhaps?