Mr Vincent Is Not On This Number

I've been receiving of late what I can only describe as nuisance calls to my mobile (cell) phone. I've had at least three this week at various times of the day and a good number in the previous weeks.

They keep asking for Mr Vincent. That's not me and I've had the same mobile number for at least 10 years so I can't imagine why they keep calling. Every time I inform the caller (male and female, it varies) they have the wrong number, they terminate the call promptly but you can bet another call won't be more than a couple of  days away.

I suspect from their manner it's a debt collection agency and on one occasion the caller claimed to be representing a company called Stevenson Drake, although I can find no trace on Google, and of course they withhold their number.

My phone company could only suggest I change my number, but I don't see why I should be inconvenienced by having to update everyone with a new number, or call the police. I've chosen the latter for the time being. Let's see what the boys and girls in blue can do. And I even have a Crime Number dontchaknow.

Unless anyone out there in the Blog-sphere has an alternative solution..?

Check. Out.

Have you ever tried one of those self service check-outs at your local supermarket, where you scan your own items? I have and I don't know why I bother. They're supposed to be quicker and easier to use than the traditional staffed till, right? Wrong. More often than not the queues seem to be much longer and when you get to the check-out, in my view they are far from straight forward. 

For example my trip tonight to my local ASDA for a handful of the weekly items was just so stressful. No less than four interventions were required by the poor harassed assistant before I was able to scan all my purchases. First off despite telling me the till was ready for me to place my own bags in the bagging area, that wasn't good enough. So I had to wait to be manually authorised grrrr. Then there was the stress of the scanned item not being registered. Another visit, override code grrr. And... well you get the picture.

I certainly wasn't the only one having issues from I could see. On one level you have to feel sorry for the staff who I imagine receive a good deal of grief and it really isn't their fault, is it? Ho hum.

Oh one last (unrelated) thought: I've been hearing lately a lot in the media about the "Innernet." Repeat after me "In-Ter-net." There, that wasn't hard was it?

Omnisexual

I've been thinking of late a little bit about the latest series of Torchwood, subtitled Miracle Day.

It seems to me that when Torchwood was smaller, ie made exclusively by the BBC, it was somehow bigger and far more creative, had better aspirations than this new Startz co-production incarnation. I mean eight episodes in (and only two remaining) and we've mostly had exposition and run of the mill conspiracies which to be frank almost border on villain-of-the-week standard; there's not been a compelling narrative which has built the story week on week. Torchwood used to be about the aliens and monsters that lived amongst us, in the underworld and just out of sight or the occasional glimpse of the monster living inside each of us. We've had none of that. Just an undefined plodding lecture on how despite medical advances we really need people to die or else we face population explosion and all the hardships, strains on resources that will bring.

So what of the central character, Captain Jack Harkness? He's meant to be around 2000 years old, quite possibly immortal and above all a humanoid alien with quite different sexual desires to us. To be exact Jack is meant to be omnisexual. Not a word you tend to hear outside of the world of Torchwood and Doctor Who but basically means he is attracted to men, women and aliens and will bed any and all without a moments thought. Something of a sexual predator; he will happily stop in the middle of an adventure if someone/thing catches his eye. What exactly does this have to do with Miracle Day? Well he suddenly seems to have become exclusively Homosexual and us viewers have been "treated" to some pretty graphic sex scenes and references.

And do you know what? At the conclusion of episode eight the villain behind the so called miracle is revealed as a- conveniently just invented- spurned (homosexual) lover from the 1920's. Not very original and to be honest I'm not quite sure what the openly gay writer, Russell T Davies is saying here. Don't cross a gay man because he will never forget and will set out to wreck havoc in your life for years to come..? Please!

Team Torchwood as it used to be. Note the giant Phallic structure in the background.














Now what of some of the other characters in the series? The excellent Bill Pullman has produced a compellingly creepy character in the form of convicted paedophile Oswald Danes. Whether this character is essential to the story arc and part of the conspiracy or just a diversion is at this point unclear. Having escaped execution in the first episode and having travelled on some sort of personal journey towards public adulation (within the plot) it seems likely at the close, death will catch up with him. Equally Rex Matheson, played by Mekhi Phifer seems largely redundant and only there to serve as a moral opposite to the promiscuous Captain Jack. Having turned himself into a human kebab in the opener, he too will expire I am sure before the final credits. This much was obvious from the beginning therefore I haven't been able to invest in either of these characters.

The supporting female cast members seem to have come off worse. Eve Myles returns as Gwen Cooper playing the "heart and soul" of the piece and reminding us all that Torchwood is Welsh but has very little else to do. She frets over her baby and worries about her father who has had a fatal heart attack, so I think we can guess where that is going. Finally Alexa Havins seems largely along for the ride as CIA agent Esther Drummond. Obviously meant to be the new "eyes and ears" of the viewer to ask the who, what and why questions, she's avoided not dying but as an actress should be feeling poorly served by this opportunity.

All in all I think you can gather I'm not impressed with Torchwood: Miracle Day. To be honest the only miracle here is that anyone, myself included, is still watching.

End of Rant.

Oh by the way, wasn't it great to see new Doctor Who back on our screens this past weekend? That's how to tell a compelling story.

Saturday Night Thoughts

A few comments and observations:

• 27 is far too young to die. It sadly didn't come as a surprise to hear Amy Winehouse has been found dead but nevertheless you have to concede that despite her troubles she was extremely talented.
• As of yesterday LL is on summer holidays for around 6 weeks. He's now finished at the Infant school and in September, the start of year 3, will transfer to the Junior school.
• I've been offered a job, after so long looking. All being well I start this coming week. Am feeling excited at the prospect, although starting early once again may come as a shock to my system.
• Still not quite sure what has happened to the summer weather. Downpours one minute, glorious sunshine the next.
• The death toll from Friday's Norwegian bombing and shooting spree now stands at over 90 confirmed. Can't imagine the horror.
• I've heard rumours the rent-a-house round the corner is due to be filled with students again from September, grrrrr. Please can we have some quiet, sensible ones this time?
• Just as I feared, the new series of Torchwood has so far proved to be a poor shadow of it's former self.
• I've been eyeing up Kindles, iPads and similar of late. Is that bad of me?

Today at the park.

Things That Make Me Go "Grrrr"

In no specific order:

• I sometimes truly worry this (once) great country is becoming a nation of half-wits. For example it really grates with me when I hear the word "nuffink" instead of "nothing." If we can't express ourselves correctly, what hope is there? The word "init" is another I have a love/hate relationship with. Then again why do nearly all teens try to express their individuality by sounding like every other teen and use some sort of rap/gang speak? Learn to speak proper, just like what I does lol.
• Yesterday I nearly ran a woman over in my car. I was turning right at a mini round-a-bout and was part way through the manoeuvre when without warning she stepped out from the kerb in front of me, totally oblivious to her surroundings. Now here's the best bit: she was pushing a pram with a baby inside. FFS! You won't hear me swear too often on this blog but you get my point. I sounded the horn, stopped to remonstrate with her and I know she heard me but she carried on as if nothing had occurred.
• The European Union and the UK regulator OFCOM have ruled that mobile phone termination charges must be reduced. That is the fee companies charge each other (and ultimately pass on to end-users) for services such as international roaming (using your phone on another network, while travelling abroad). This is fine but these companies will seek to recoup the shortfall by other means, in order to maintain their profits. For example I've just been notified one service I use a lot will increase from 20p per minute (about 30c/min) to 92p per minute ($1.47/min). That helps me how?  
• The kids in the rent-a-house behind me don't seem to understand the concept of "quiet." Every Saturday night their parents seem happy they are outside in the dark screaming the place down. These are teen and pre-teen children- shouldn't they be tucked up in bed? The clocks change this weekend, meaning our peaceful neighbourhood will be subject to disruption for longer. At least they are better than the Uni students who were there last year. It was definitely the party house then. Grrrr.

 Feel better now, I've got that off my chest

Pot. Kettle. Black.

According to the head of a multi-national company, food in the UK is truly "terrible." The comment was made recently to university students in Chicago (and carried in The Chicago Maroon newspaper) by Bernardo Hees, new global head of Burger King.

I'm sorry I must have missed BK being awarded a Michelin star for the high standard of cuisine served in their "restauarants."

Oh and in case there was any doubt that Mr Hess didn't view the UK with any sort of affection, apparently British women are "unattractive." According to Mr Hees this is just as well otherwise the poor soul would not have been able to concentrate while studying here. Read all about it here.

What The..?

The shops are selling chocolate Easter eggs already. Grr.

Too much chocolate can do this to you. Apparently.

What Cutbacks?

So we're being told the economic situation is dire at present, that we should expect huge increases in bills and wholesale cuts to public services. Already as a result we hear of huge job cuts in the public sector because there just isn't enough money in the pot for basic services.

To reinforce this message just this week our neighbours on the Emerald Isle have been forced to request a multi-billion pound loan and the government there will be shortly announcing huge budget cuts.

How come then today a team of three workers from my local council- Wokingham- have been along cutting the grass on the public verges? It wasn't long by any stretch of the imagination. It's Autumn, rolling into Winter here for goodness sake- temperatures this morning were about 1 degree Celsius (about 34 F) and grass stops growing at 6 degrees. Snow has even been promised by the end of the week. I'm pretty sure this was a pointless exercise and the verges didn't benefit from the cut.

What a waste of money. Let's be clear about this: what a waste of my Council Tax.

End of rant.



Off to see Harry Potter this Friday.

Smelly

It's that same old story- you wait ages and then three buses come along at once.

Or in this case you're without tap water three times in the space of a month! We haven't been without water for many years but it seems the near 50 year old mains pipes are starting to give up. Apparently a leak in the water main was reported last night so our water supplier- Thames Water- switched off the mains in our street at around 1am but the guys didn't start digging until about 9.30 this morning and say it will take several more hours to resolve. Grrr.

Needless to say I wasn't able to have a coffee or even wash* until the shops opened and I could go out to buy bottled water. Think I'm gonna keep at least 5 litres of bottled in the house from now on, just in case.

Unlike the other utilities (electricity, gas, telephone), water is run as an effective monopoly- there is only one company in each region, we can't shop around for alternative mains water suppliers. Given the huge profits our water companies continue to make, isn't it about time some more money was put back into upgrading the water system a bit quicker?


* Have been able to get washed now, using the bottled stuff. In case you were concerned LOL.

Grrrr

One of the disadvantages of living in the United Kingdom during the Summer months is that for some reason people seem to want to light stinky bonfires late at night. As an asthmatic, this tends to b****r my breathing unless I realise in good time and shut all the windows. Of course this then means- because I don't have Air Con- the house becomes unbearably hot and it's then impossible to sleep.

Just my little rant. Over now.

Kind Of Excited

I've been given a "heads-up" that my pot is ready for collection tonight and is looking pretty fab. Am probably setting myself up for  disappointment but we'll see. If it's good, I'll blog. If you don't hear from me, I think you can guess... 



(Oh by the way. Big thanks -but no thanks- to all the SPAMers who kindly post comments with links to undesirable websites. That's why I have moderated comments, so you can't. Get the message? You're wasting your time. End of mini-rant)

Slow News Days?*

*Or What Has This World Come To?

I really can't believe the current state of the News being broadcast by the BBC.

Yesterday every radio and TV news bulletin had an item on the forthcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing (also known as Dancing With The Stars in some parts) and which (minor or fading) celebrities had signed up to appear. All this on the back of weeks of "news" regarding the sidelining of one of the regular judges in favour of a younger model.







She used to be in Eastenders a long time ago, dontchaknow.










Now today's news is that rival broadcaster Channel 4 have at long last decided to axe Big Brother due to low ratings. It's taken them this long to realise no one was watching this drivel?

Either way this is far less than I expect from the News department of an organisation such as the BBC. Have we really become a celebrity obsessed nation? If I want celebrity driven news, I'll go watch the "entertainment news" programmes both the BBC and their rivals carry or look on-line; I don't want news about real events that can affect real lives trivialised by being associated with reality TV dross.

End of rant.

Information Slow Lane

So I've been having a difficult time with my Internet Service Provider of late.

I've found it's been increasingly difficult to get any sort of Broadband connection these past 10 days or so. My ISP has a message on their web site saying they have an issue, which of course you can only read if you can actually get on the internet; it's dated 19 Feb. Yesterday I finally decided I'd been patient enough and gave their "help desk" a ring. That was the start of my pain which then endured for over 70 minutes on the phone, going over the same information a number of times with different operators grrrr.

The first person, I will call "C" (because who knows, she might actually read this!) was quite rude and in fact at one point went as far as to basically imply I was lying grrrr. Anyway I have made a complaint about "C." Apparently according to "C" the fault lies with my phone company, despite the ISP putting their equipment into the exchange ("C" denied this) and stating on their site it was a fault at their end. Also apparently Call Centre supervisors aren't there for our benefit but for the phone operators. Go figure.

Anyway and I'm going to wrap this up because it's not that exciting really, I finally got passed along. First to another lady "L" who was most helpful and finally to "R" a man in the technical dept, who finally confirmed they have an issue they are working with but couldn't say how much longer it will take. Keep checking the web site (if you can get connected).

Had a go with a 56k Dial-Up modem last night. Quaint but it worked LOL.

Right got that off my chest now.

Am I Missing Something Obvious?

So the UK government is to announce* on Thursday plans to sell a 30% stake in the Royal Mail, probably the oldest postal service in the world with a proud tradition of carrying mail promptly anywhere in the country for a set charge.




Top employee Pat always gets the mail delivered on time LOL.









Apparently the service needs modernising and the only way to do this, so the argument goes, is to sell it off to a rival. Go figure. You would have thought with the "global credit crunch"- our governments preferred phrase- it is not the best time to sell off a state asset, when market prices will be at an all time low. Not to mention the alleged hole in the company pension that needs plugging. Will a new part-owner willingly take this debt on? I doubt it.

Then again you have to remember our Prime Minister Gordon Brown is the man responsible (as Chancellor of the Exchequer) for selling off the vast majority of our Gold reserves when those prices were at an all time low. So not exactly a great track record getting the best deal for the nation. Not to mention this same man, who by means of heavy taxation, raided public and private company pension plans to such a degree we will all need to work longer before we can afford to retire. Unless you happen to be a Member of Parliament of course.

You know, Dad was telling me recently that since he retired in 1996 his pension has risen steadily each year but thanks to increased taxes, he gets far less net pay now than he did at retirement.

So where Mr Brown, has all that money from the 'good times' gone? You spend billions part or fully privatizing our banks but you can't support an already state-owned service. And that's the rub- I thought the Post Office was meant to be a service for the benefit of the nation, not a company that turns a profit. I don't understand, am I missing something obvious?

* Am I the only one getting annoyed with the current trend of pre-announcing everything?

Tolerance?

Apparently the BBC has received a number of complaints from parents about new CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell. Parents are worried she will scare their kids, rather than act as a role model. She was born without an arm below the elbow.

Cerrie with co-presenter Alex Winters








To be honest Little Lad has seen this girl on TV and not freaked out. He also had a pre-school teacher with a similar "condition" and I can tell you all the kids there seemed fine. This sort of thing makes my blood boil to be honest- how can some people be so small minded? What next- get rid of the blind character from Me Too? Ban Justin Fletcher from featuring disabled kids on Something Special? Grrrr!

Tolerance in a modern Britain? You decide.

Rant

Feeling pretty awful today so this might sound a little intolerant but...

Rant of the Day.

If you were born and raised in a county that is generally hotter than the UK and you spend all your time moaning you are too cold, what the hell are you doing living here?

I mean it's July. It might be wet but it is quite warm. Do you really need to run a fan heater all day in the office?

End of Rant.

Rant

Rant of the Day.


Why is it that some drivers when they get to a round-a-bout insist on indicating 'right' even though they are driving straight ahead?

Come on: you indicate 'left' to turn left and 'right' for right. There's no need to tell people you're carrying on in exactly the same direction you were already travelling or worse just confuse the hell out of other motorists by incorrectly signalling.

End of Rant.