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In one of the funniest posts I’ve read in a while, that barmpot Galligan over at Kitchentable describes the events surrounding ticking off one of his “things to do before I’m 40” list. In a big-brother style, including cut-aways and those irritating “don’t sue us” breaks in continuity/sound.

Well worth the read.

British Gas

Yet again, I had to deal last night with British Gas’s awesomely inept customer services department. The following is the letter of complaint that’s being posted off today.

Dear Customer Services Manager

I have today had the dubious joy of dealing with the Customer Services department of British Gas, which has left me fuming on several matters.

However, I believe that the most glaring problem with the entire call was at the start, where I was asked to validate my account in accordance with Data Protection Act requirements. Having explained to the customer services advisor that I had a letter from yourselves in front of me, I was asked to provide – for DPA – my name, address, and postcode.

Apparently, this is enough to “prove” my identity, and is in line with British Gas’s DPA policy as being ample proof. Obviously it is not – as I explained to the advisor, I could have been absolutely anyone with access to the letter. ALL the information requested was in the top third of the sheet of paper.

As such, I find this state of affairs to be utterly disgraceful, and I hope that you will feel much the same.

In line with the requirements of the Information Commissioner, I am initially taking this matter up with British Gas. However, in light of both the seriousness of the potential breaches, and also the exceptionally dispassionate “that’s the way it is” attitude of the customer services personnel involved, if I have not had a response from yourselves by 21^st July 2004, I shall request that the Information Commissioner’s Office become involved in this matter.

Yours Sincerely Blah, Blah, Blah

I can’t wait to see the response to that one…

Mastermind

Well, Mastermind (bizarrely, the BBC doesn’t have a link or minisite for it) started again on TV last night, and as promised at the time, it was the one we saw being recorded back in March. It was interesting to see how it’d been cut together from the recording session, and even more interesting to see that I still knew keff all about any of the specialist subjects…

Fanaticism.

My God, I’m glad I’ve got a DVD player. Not content with fucking Euro 2004, we’ve now got keffing Wimbledon too, along with the standard *spit* Henmania too. Oh joy, oh happiness, oh be still my happy heart.

And once that’s over, it won’t be long ’til Athens Olympics. Oh, and also in there will be the British Grand Prix on the 11th July – and I’m sure there are a couple of other events I’ve forgotten/ failed to care about/ erased from memory.

Solstice

Ye Gods, what a weekend. All’s well, but it’s been pretty manic.

In other news, today is the longest day (Oh piss, linked to the wrong thing – it should be this one. Told you it’d been one of those weekends.) today is the longest day and a bunch of hippies, druids and travellers saw it in at Stonehenge. Good for them.

So – the longest day already? They just get shorter from here in, until Winter appears in all its glory once more. Must make a note to put in the daylight bulbs this week, make sure that happens in good time. Joy.

Domesticity

No updates today – and possibly tomorrow – as major changes ae going on here chez Lyle. I’ve now got a friend sharing the house with me, as her marriage has travelled up crap creek without a paddle to redeem itself.

So for the forseeable future, the house doesn’t have just me in it. It’s an interesting development (one of many) over the last couple of weeks, and will take some time and energy in order for me to figure out what the chuff’s going on.

So bear with me, and if weekends are quiet, you’ll have to live with it for the moment. It’s all going to calm down soon, I promise. Well, “soon” in the geological context, anyway. *grin*

Not Waving

One thing I’ve been glad to see today is that a new legislation will, for the first time in the UK, allow for ‘living wills’. I’ve always liked this kind of thing, along with the American “DNR” (Do Not Resuscitate) document. I would hate to be in a position where someone could decide what should happen to me, and to have no valid form of input into that decision.

‘Living Wills’ aren’t a comprehensive answer – but at least they open the door for such a thing.