eddie-brown.net blog

Grrrrrr…. some unspeakable thing (be it biological or a script) is sending out spam claiming to be this domain. I know this as I am currently receiving all their bounce messages. Grrrrrr.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Hmmmm, thinking about this. Can we add a VW Campervan to my list of toys I would like?

Please?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Hmmm, so GE Money took cash from my account, when the letter setting up the direct debit said it would start in october.

The direct debit guarantee applies to all banks and building societies taking part in the direct debit scheme. It says that:

• If there is a change in the amount to be paid or the payment date, the person receiving the payment (the originator) must notify the customer in advance.
• If the originator or the bank/building society makes an error, the customer is guaranteed a full and immediate refund of the amount paid.
• Customers can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to their bank or building society.

I phoned up GE Money. They said they could send me a cheque. I pointed out that that would not be very quick. And they have not managed to send me a card yet…. so how do I know that will arrive? They claimed it was the best they could do.

So I phone the Bank. They transferred me to periodic payments, and the money is back in my account already.

GE Money increasingly seem inept….

Popularity: 3% [?]

It seems my catchall email forwarding has not been operating for the last couple of days.

I thought it had got quiet…..

There might be some other “funnies” in operation. If you have sent email, in last couple of days, please resend.

Popularity: 4% [?]

As many people will be aware, I have a habit of carrying around a blue inhaler containing Salbutamol. I’ve done it for years. And I can sometimes go for weeks without even using it.

With the exception of my childhood doctor, this means every year or so I have to go and see a nurse for an “Asthma Follow Up” which i think is so the Doctors can be paid. I don’t really get much satisfaction from it, although I might just raise the fact that Beclometasone dipropionate (i.e. a “Brown Inhaler” or preventer) seems to have disappeared from my list of possible repeat perscription options. I know its not like I use it all the time usually , but I was going to restart over the summer (blooming pollen) and i realised that I didn’t have any in date ones….

What irritates me about it though is when i tried to phone the practice to make an appointment, which I suspect is going to be me confirming who I am, and doing a peak flow, they could not cope with my request for an appointment week commencing 1st of October. You see i am a little busy for the next couple of weeks, and I would prefer to make the appointment to suit me, after all, i am not desperate to make it…

UPDATE: It seems not all inhalers containing the same goodies are the same. I am sure i have a Qvar inhaler some where.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Time management is a funny thing.

There are those who have to plan every aspect of their day, and any extra sudden items to deal with will cause problems. and there are those who excel in dealing with sudden requests and crises straight away (although some may not then be able to plan)

But all of us at some point want to ignore the outside world. Just to add a layer of screening on the incoming calls and emails so that something can get their full attention.

I have come across people using out of office to provide this screening before. And so long as you are not subscribed to too many mailing lists, it probably works quite well….

But it does have something of a point. People do expect a quick reaction to emails, and do send emails that require a fast reaction. Which is odd, as the band width of a phone call is usually much greater than that of an email. Although the record of an email is usually much better….

Luckily for me it is not too much of a problem. There are not a huge number of emails, and generally people’s expectations of the response are about what i think they should be. Also, as i am currently working on one main project at a time, if i am on site for a week, then the only person who might want me urgently is also on site too….

One last gripe though. Most people are pretty good at setting an out of office message when they go on holiday, and most of those include the date of their return and often an alternative contact for urgent queries, but why to many messages take hours to respond, or sometimes have to wait until the next day.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I have now entered enough routes in my UKC Logbook to be able to Register for the Single Pitch Award. Obviously, filling in the registration form is only the start, but at least if i keep writing down the climbs i do then I will be getting some where….

As an aside, there is an award for indoor walls in the pipeline. I wonder if the Scout Association would be so kind as to put it in their activity requirements to save people having to get an SPA by default due to someone’s lack of ability to see the true meaning of “meet the following requirements, or hold SPA”

Popularity: 6% [?]