Catch-Up Splurge
Time, it seems, is at a premium at the moment, with deadlines fast approaching. However, I have had to go to Cheltenham today (for an eye appointment; I was not on a cheeky trip to the races) and I am enjoying the breathing space offered by my return journey. It's the first opportunity I've had in a while to make some sounds in the blogosphere, and so here are some random musings about life in recent days.
I think I shall begin by commenting on the "efficiency" of the local council. As a student, I am exempt from the pleasure of paying council tax, but the council have had issues keeping their records up to date for my previous house. I hope it's all sorted now, but I've been through a spate of being contacted by my last landlady as she tries to chase up information the council already have. The pattern has been as follows. The council write to her, asking for information about her tenant (me) in the period concerned. She lets me know that the council need the information. I ring the council. They tell me that they have the information already. And whilst we're on the subject of ringing the council, I am going to rant about the recorded options menu. Not only is it verbose, and therefore time consuming, but the recorded voice is never in any hurry to spit the words out. It seems that the stereotypical 'jobsworth' mentatlity has even infiltrated the automatic phone system.
Rather excitingly I also had to endure the council's phone sytem for another reason this month. Our house is devoid of recycling boxes (and consequently full of "recycling") and so I decided to rectify the situation. After eventually getting through to someone, the good news is that said boxes are now on the way. However, they're only "expected sometime in the next four weeks". If I had nothing better to do I could walk across half the country to collect one in that time. I might even have the time to take some influence from a bloke I saw recently in Oxford and learn how to unicycle.
It's election time on campus for the SU, and although there are one or two noteworthy items in the sea of posters - "Your mumma may or may not be fat, but FAT Paxton is," for example - there is nothing to convince me that voting for any of them will prove to be useful. Admittedly manifestos are available, but those that I've read don't inspire much confidence. Three candidates running for entirely different positions seem to think that it would be their job to try and improve the bus service, whilst one bloke running for 'VP Welfare and Campaigns' asks voters to elect him for the position of 'VP Welfare and Communication'. Personally, my involvement so far has entailed telling someone that I thought the whole thing was a joke, before being offered his business card which highlighted his presidential campaign.
I'm nearly home now, so I'd best go. Before I do though, I should add that if you're in Bath on Saturday you really ought to come to the Chamber Choir Concert at 7.30pm in St Mary's Bathwick. It'll be good.
I think I shall begin by commenting on the "efficiency" of the local council. As a student, I am exempt from the pleasure of paying council tax, but the council have had issues keeping their records up to date for my previous house. I hope it's all sorted now, but I've been through a spate of being contacted by my last landlady as she tries to chase up information the council already have. The pattern has been as follows. The council write to her, asking for information about her tenant (me) in the period concerned. She lets me know that the council need the information. I ring the council. They tell me that they have the information already. And whilst we're on the subject of ringing the council, I am going to rant about the recorded options menu. Not only is it verbose, and therefore time consuming, but the recorded voice is never in any hurry to spit the words out. It seems that the stereotypical 'jobsworth' mentatlity has even infiltrated the automatic phone system.
Rather excitingly I also had to endure the council's phone sytem for another reason this month. Our house is devoid of recycling boxes (and consequently full of "recycling") and so I decided to rectify the situation. After eventually getting through to someone, the good news is that said boxes are now on the way. However, they're only "expected sometime in the next four weeks". If I had nothing better to do I could walk across half the country to collect one in that time. I might even have the time to take some influence from a bloke I saw recently in Oxford and learn how to unicycle.
It's election time on campus for the SU, and although there are one or two noteworthy items in the sea of posters - "Your mumma may or may not be fat, but FAT Paxton is," for example - there is nothing to convince me that voting for any of them will prove to be useful. Admittedly manifestos are available, but those that I've read don't inspire much confidence. Three candidates running for entirely different positions seem to think that it would be their job to try and improve the bus service, whilst one bloke running for 'VP Welfare and Campaigns' asks voters to elect him for the position of 'VP Welfare and Communication'. Personally, my involvement so far has entailed telling someone that I thought the whole thing was a joke, before being offered his business card which highlighted his presidential campaign.
I'm nearly home now, so I'd best go. Before I do though, I should add that if you're in Bath on Saturday you really ought to come to the Chamber Choir Concert at 7.30pm in St Mary's Bathwick. It'll be good.
Comments
Good luck for the concert tonight.