Posted: Tue 21 April, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Charm School, Cynicism, Domestic, Own Business, Work-related |
I forgot to mention before, but following on from the farce last month with my fuckstick accountant going bankrupt I’ve now sorted things out with a new one.
As it happens, it’s the accountant who has picked up a lot of the business from the fuckstick one (although not the premises, branding or debts) so the likelihood of him disappearing now is even less likely.
It’s not been an easy process – it’s involved seeing two more accountants, and then figuring out costs, benefits etc. but I’m generally pretty happy with the results, and feel a bit more reassured this time round.
Just for additional fun, it looks like some of the information given to me by the previous fuck-knuckle has turned out to be – well, if not wrong then decidedly shaky. Never a good thing when it comes to trying to avoid the indelicate attentions of HMRC…
Still, at least it’s another thing sorted out (even though I do still have to sign some papers etc. to get it finalised) and off the list.
Posted: Fri 17 April, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Own Business, Thoughts, Work-related, Writing |
It’s obviously about to be one of those times where life gets expensive again as things go wrong.
First, there’s the car. Still no word on what needs doing, how much it’ll cost, or when I’ll get it back.
Second, the laptop is definitely getting to be on it’s last legs. The bottom row of keys is getting very tempramental – who knew N was such a used key on my keyboard? – so I may have to go looking at a replacement at some point soon. Joy of joys.
In fairness, I’ve had the laptop for nearly three years, and in that time it’s had a hard life. It’s travelled in my backpack on a regular basis, gets used all the time at home, and is generally a bit of a workhorse. I cracked the case about 18 months ago, which makes CD/DVD use a bit of a challenge (and ejection of said disc even more so) but that wasn’t enough to need a change.
However, a broken/breaking keyboard is rather more relevant – I can’t use it properly if the keyboard’s on the way out. Typing is the main thing I do on the damn thing, in fact.
So I’ll give it a cleanout over the weekend, see if a hoover and/or air-blast will help, but I know it’s on the way out. I’m just prolonging the inevitable, really…
Posted: Wed 8 April, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Geeky, Own Business, Web Development, Work-related |
Currently, I’m working on a small e-learning project which is absolutely killing me mentally.
The work itself is OK, and the ideas behind it are quite cool. However, the people in charge of the project have put together the entire set of e-learning tests in PowerPoint (AKA The Software of the Devil), with one screenshot per PowerPoint Slide. All told there’s nearly 200 of these – and they’re not necessarily in order.
Now the order doesn’t matter too much – all this stuff is going into a database, and that’ll handle the question order just fine whether or not it’s out of order. However, having them correctly grouped does make it easier during the transfer to process them out of SatanWare into anything remotely usable.
As it is – and this could be because I’m not au fait with Powerpoint, so there may be some esoteric export function or somesuch that would’ve made life easier – I’ve had to go through the following process…
Phase One
- Select PowerPoint slide.
- Copy Image to clipboard
- Go to Image Software of Choice (in this case Fireworks, but Photoshop would’ve worked too)
- Create new blank image
- Paste clipboard-copy of image into new image
- Save new image as filename.jpg.
- Close new image.
- Repeat 200 times.
Phase Two
- Open each new image one by one in Photoshop/Fireworks (I could do it in batches, but again, one-by-one allows for consistency/sanity)
- Add four new layers for answer options (A,B,C,D) and add a pretty arrow pointing to a possible answer for each one.
- Make sure that the letter for the correct answer goes to the correct answer
- Save new image
- Close new image
- Repeat 200 times.
In short, it’s utterly soul-destroying. I’ll just be glad to get it over and done with.
Posted: Sun 5 April, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Own Business, Photography, Writing |
Back in November, I made a more basic list of what the plans would be for 2008/9 on the Five Year Plan.
I’m now halfway through – both the 2008/9 year, and the Plan itself. Which also means that in 2½ years time from today, I’ll be 40. Shite.
Anyway, here’s the list from November, along with progress comments.
- Sort out the mortgage renewal along with Herself (March/April)
- Write and Launch the main site ideas that are in my head at the moment, and see how they do
- Daily Word Challenge : launched
- Creativity Merger Site : done
- Two Three other primary sites : under development
- Promote one of the other sites I’ve done, which has a big dollop of potential – probably going to sack this one off
- Complete the NCFE Photography qualification/course – ongoing, 2/3s of the way through now
- Redesign my photography site – considering a significant change of theme on this one
- Promote the photography and site more – working on it
- Write at least one more big piece to get it out of my head at last – getting there
- Possibly redesign D4D™ a bit – I know, I’ve been talking about it now for years
Oh yeah, and…
- Lose some weight, as my plans for doing so in 2008 have emphatically failed – primarily due to zero motivation to do so, but also due to life over-riding gym etc. Ahem, yes, well, absolutely bugger-all done on this one.
Posted: Thu 26 March, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, House Purchase, Own Business, Thoughts, Work-related |
This post follows on from the one yesterday (Imaginatively titled “It’s time – part one”) about mortgages and overpayments…
So yes, the mortgage deal we’ve got allows for overpayments, and I’ve got some ideas on getting those overpayments under way. And basically, it all comes filed under “Get your damn finger out, Lyle“. Or, as the title of the post says, “It’s time.”
Which means that while we’re away, I’m going to have spent some time writing some spec letters to companies, pimping myself and my company. Once we get back, they’ll get printed out and go in the post. Then it’s the fun of following up on the letters, and seeing what work I can get.
At the same time, well, it’s time for me to get back to contracting. I don’t just want to go back to it, I need to. Sure, the current place might provide stability, but it’s driving me a) crackers and b) homicidal. I need to change. I need to work on changing back to a situation I’m happier in, and bringing in extra work for myself.
And then there’s also the writing and photography. I need/want to make more of those things if I can. I don’t know that the photography will ever be a money-spinner – it’s a crowded market, to say the least – but I’ll do what I can, either with commercial-based stuff, or with a couple of other ideas that might just make money through photography in other ways. And no, I don’t mean porn.
In short, it’s time. It’s time to get my finger out, to get back to the way I used to be, and to sort my head and life out in that context.
It’s time.
Posted: Wed 25 March, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, House Purchase, Own Business, Thoughts, Work-related |
While we’re taking a break, the redone mortgage will (hopefully) be wading it’s way through the paperwork mire. We did all the application guff a couple of weeks back, signing up for a 5-year fixed-rate deal which looks to have been pretty much the best option for us. No fee, no transaction charge, and an OK interest rate.
We’re also changing lenders – Nationwide weren’t able to provide us with anywhere even close to the best deal – plus their valuation calculator is so wildly wrong in our case that it’s just about unusable. So we’re moving on.
The interest rate we’ve got isn’t as low as the base rate- but we never expected it to be. However, it’s a rate we’re happy with, and it lets us know what we’ll be paying between now and 2014, regardless of what interest-rate idiocy goes on between now and then. And that works just fine so far as I’m concerned.
We could almost certainly save ourselves a bit of money by just making some payments at the SVR rate, but I feel much happier with having the fixed-rate deal sorted out, and making the payments based on that. After all, when the rates go up – and they will – there’ll be a ton of people currently paying on the SVR rate who suddenly try to apply for a fixed-rate deal, at which point I’d lay money on the lenders immediately upping the charges for those deals. So I’m happier being “stupid” (according to a couple of people I’ve talked with) and doing what we’ve done.
The other part of the deal is that we can overpay – and overpay by a significant amount each year – the mortgage. And that’s something I’d very much like to take advantage of. I’ve written before about how I find the mortgage debt is something I’m very aware of so I’d be a lot happier to be paying off over the odds, and reducing the interest paid by a significant amount at the same time.
I’ve some ideas for how I’m going to work on the overpayments – but that’s a post for tomorrow.
Posted: Tue 17 March, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Customer Services, Own Business, Work-related |
Following on from the fun last week where my accountant got himself declared bankrupt (fucker) I had to get the registered office for my company moved and re-registered with Companies House as soon as possible.
In light of that, I downloaded the necessary form from their website, printed it out, filled it in, and posted it off.
Checking today, the registered office change has been processed, and is part of their online record for my company.
I have to say, I’m impressed with the efficiency. I’ve said about it before, but Companies House really do tend to be disturbingly efficient – particularly when you realise they’re a branch of Government. It’s most unnatural – yet strangely reassuring.