2011 — 15 September: Thursday
It seems to be the case1 that a grotesquely-early mid-week appointment perturbs sleep patterns either side of the day involved. Why else I would be up and at 'em when it's still only 07:33 puzzles me, if not my subconscious. If such a thing exists.
Still, I have some supplies shopping to do before I nip out to Hurstborne Priors for a lunch with Chris'n'Gill. Assuming the water pump in the Yaris does its thing for a few miles further.
The Life Aquatic
I was intending to let the "Home Serve" insurance outfit (whose first [or second?] annual premium renewal plopped through the front door slit yesterday) renew its water supply pipe insurance2 for the next year. But didn't recent guvmint changes mean the water companies themselves have to step up to this challenge next month? This was, after all, the reason they gave me to explain a small boost in the latest water bill. Inquiring minds need to know. Preferably in time to cancel the next annual insurance premium (which has gone up from £18 to £47) before it becomes non-refundable.
I don't expect I'm alone in regarding insurance companies as employees of Satan, doing their best to spread FUD at all opportunities. More to the point, the "small print" list of exclusions covers just about any and everything that seems capable of happening to a small length of buried pipe.
PINS and needling
Also wafting its intrusive way into my life yesterday was the world's smallest electronic "Security Code" generator from the world's largest bank. Yet another online banking interface to grapple with. What fun!
After a surprisingly stress-free grapple I rang their team (who were standing by, 24x7, just to help me). I'd intended to congratulate them — my reasoning being that far more people would be struggling and complaining rather than being nice to them, and I know only too well how dispiriting customer complaints can be — but, since the first response from a robotic member of said team was a mechanical request for a 16-digit number I knew not what of, I simply hung up.
So that's two major institutions in two days who have fallen down when it comes to their mechanisms for accepting positive customer feedback.
The Fonz, OBE?
Good grief!
President Coiffure?
I pay less attention to the presidential campaigns in North America than I can, having a surfeit of emetic politicos closer to home to contemplate for wry amusement. But the late, great, Molly Ivins has had some commentary she wrote about then-governor Rick Perry of Texas republished. Well worth skimming. Snippet and source:
"Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that Texas is burdened by an outdated, out-of-whack tax system and a public education finance system that has to go," reported the paper. "But the state's top elected leader also said Texans shouldn't expect the upcoming legislature to do anything about either. Perry said tackling the dense issues is too much to ask of new leaders." That's leadership!
Since I'm now (11:44) getting ready to set off for points in the frozen North, I can only suggest that you:
I've been invited to select my preferred font for use in weaving my name into a bookmark. Personally, I like data70.
I had to smile...
... but only after I'd seen what Gill took with my Tablet PC's camera app:
Pretty good depth of field, I think, given the tiny lens.
Possibly as revenge for trying to get them enthused about the "Larry Sanders" TV show I was also treated to a "Dr Who" episode scripted by Steve Moffat in an attempt to convert me. As I told them, the last time I watched that programme with any regularity, it was 405-line monochrome and the doctor was played by William Hartnell. The episode they chose was "Blink" (beware the weeping angels) which, I have to say, I actually enjoyed immensely. This is a bit worrying, as a) I've been scornful of the show for years, and b) there's an awful lot of back-catalogue material to catch up on if I go developing a taste for it at my advanced age.
They also lent me a hefty somewhat-related tome — "The Writer's Tale" — by one Russell T Davies. As with Brian's, Mike's, and Len's video collections, there are fascinating over- and underlaps in our tastes and interests.