For Your Safety

Posted: Fri 6 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: 1BEM, Cynicism, Legal, News, People, Politics, Privacy, Security, Thoughts | Leave a comment »

You know, I for one am getting really tired of the government phrases “It’s for your safety” and “it’s for your security”, which are getting bandied around more and more.

This week it’s been used about blocking flights to and from Sharm El-Sheikh because of an alleged – but unproven – bomb in the hold of the plane that crashed in the Sinai desert last week. It’s also been used in discussions about monitoring everyone’s internet traffic and holding those records for at least a year, and in revelations about MI5 monitoring every domestic phone-call in the UK for the last ten years.

Governments like people to be scared – and more and more, we seem to be happy to let the government take these measures ‘because it makes us safer’. It doesn’t, it just gives up more information to the government – and all in the name of ‘safety’.

Basically, it’s shit.

[I know, I need to think more about this and write more. But it’s a phrase that bugs me every time it’s used]

2015/16 – Finances

Posted: Fri 6 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: 2015/16, Bankruptcy, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Thoughts | Leave a comment »

One of the more important things for the coming year will be continuing to rebuild my finances.

The first – and, to some degree, the biggest – step comes at the end of this year, when I make my final payment of the bankruptcy period. Really, that’s the end of it – from there, it’s just the time to rebuild and make progress. And that’ll be the plan in 2016.

Once the payments are done with, I’ll be putting the same amount into a savings account instead. I’ve got used to it going out of the account, and it’ll be the start of a good process.

I’ve got some further ideas, but the basic outline will be to build the savings up over the year, and have a decent amount by the end of the year.

I have an idea about giving myself the ability to have some time off in 2017, and the initial stage/target of that will be to have amassed at least six months pay in savings – to be able to fund a break, if that’s what I still decide to do, once this year’s plan is completed.

In similar vein, I’m considering overpaying on my bills, adding in some padding on that score as well.

Of course, it’ll also depend on having stability this year work-wise. I know my current contract will come to an end, so there’ll be a time for getting a new one and seeing what happens from there.

But all told, right now at the start of this next year’s plans, I’m feeling pretty optimistic and positive about the whole thing.

HMRC Failings

Posted: Thu 5 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Customer Services, Cynicism, Domestic, HMRC, News, Thoughts | Leave a comment »

This week, MPs declared that HMRC is still failing taxpayers in umpteen ways – which is no surprise to anyone who has to deal with them on an even vaguely regular basis.

Now that I’m doing the self-employed thing, I’ve spent more time than I should on the phone to the idiots.

From the article

In 2011-12, HMRC answered 74% of calls from the public, but by the start of 2015, it only answered 50% of them, the MPs said.

Honestly, I’m amazed it’s as high as 50%…

2015-16 – What’s coming up next?

Posted: Thu 5 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: 2015/16, Bankruptcy, D4D™, Day Trips, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Own Business, Thoughts, Travel, Weigh Less, Work-related, Write More | Leave a comment »

Following on from yesterday’s “what happened in the last year” post, now we get to the fun stuff, the “What’s going to happen in the coming year?” post.

Although, to be honest, some of those goals aren’t going to change much.  I currently see 2015/16 as a year that’s more about consolidation, of building from the foundations of 2014/15.

So, the outline goals are going to be

  • Continue rebuilding finances.
  • Continue with health/exercise/weight-loss stuff
  • Write more
  • Develop more things based around my own business
  • Get out more

There will be some significant changes during 2016 that I already know about and/or expect – as well as a number of things unexpected and un-planned-for.

Among the expected changes, I know that I’ll definitely be looking for at least one new contract sometime in that year. As yet I don’t know exactly when, but I can live with that – when it happens, it’ll be fine.

Also, the final financial stage of my bankruptcy will come to an end early in the year, and I’ll have paid off the three-year repayment plan. (That’s happening later than the three-year anniversary of the actual declaration, because it takes time to organise and sort out in the first place) I plan to keep making that payment, but into my own savings account, which will (obviously) help build things up.

Finally, I may end up moving by the end of the year. Or I may not. I don’t know for sure. Actually, that most likely won’t be in this time-span, as my 12-month tenancy agreement renewal starts today. I may know that I will be moving (as I’d have to give a month’s notice to end the tenancy etc. etc.) but the odds are that I won’t have actually moved. If I decide to do so.

I’ll write in more detail about those outline goals over the next few days, and see what they bring.

For now, I’m just happy to have some ideas about what’s going to come next.

FortyFour

Posted: Thu 5 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: D4D™, Domestic | 3 Comments »

Blimey.

I’m 44. Who’d have thought it?

2014-15 Summing Up

Posted: Wed 4 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: 2014/15, 2015 vs 2014, Bankruptcy, Car Repairs, Domestic, Finances, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Food, Getting Organised, Health, Looking Back, Thoughts, Travel, Weigh Less, Work-related, Write More, Writing | Leave a comment »

This time last year, I made a list of things I wanted to do in the coming year.

So how have I done? Actually, not badly at all.  (The initial goals are in bold, with the results in colour afterwards)

  • Weigh Less – Kind of. It’s fair to say, this has had its ups and downs. Over the course of the year, I put back on some of the weight I’d lost, and then lost it again. With more regular attendance at the gym, I’ve also changed shape, lost a noticeable amount of fat, but replaced it with a similar weight of muscle, so I’ve maintained roughly the same weight throughout the last six months, despite looking (and feeling) fitter and lighter. It’s annoying, but successful in a way.
  • Write More – Less successful. I’ve completed a couple of pieces, and got ideas for others. So I guess I’ve written more – and been doing more here – but still, it’s not quite what I’d hoped/planned for.
  • IAM Test – Kinda. I’ve booked it in, but it’s not happened yet. I’ll write more about that when it does.
  • Ideas for my own business – Successful. In the last six months I’ve changed to doing the contract through my own limited company, and dealing with my own accounts and payroll etc. – which is definitely a good step in the right direction. I’ve also got more/better ideas and goals for the coming year, and what the plans will be.
  • Build The Finances – Successful. It’s not been perfect. There have been unexpected expenses like the car’s turbo needing replacement, and a few other things along the way. There’s also been that nasty habit of getting out and having a life – some of which hasn’t been super-cheap.
    But all told, I’m coming out of the year in a far better position than I went into it. Not as well as I could have come out of it, but there we go – my choice, my decision, and it’s still a good position to be in.

So all told, it’s been a pretty good year. Most of the plans have borne fruit, or are at least showing growth and promise for the coming year.  Frankly, I can live with that as a set of results.

 

Weather and Maintenance

Posted: Tue 3 November, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Commuting, Driving, Fog, Laziness, Milton Keynes, People, Thoughts, Weather | Leave a comment »

It’s November, so in the last few days we’ve seen the clocks go back and had some seriously thick fogs in the mornings and evenings. That means people are (or at least should be) driving with lights on and so on – and it also illustrates that plenty of them don’t have everything working.

As usual, I find it utterly gobsmacking how people can drive along – while maintaining the same speeds they’d drive at on dry roads with decent visibility – with broken headlamps, no lights at all, and no foglights.  (And, of course there’s then the ones who leave on foglights well into clear weather, or use them at night when there’s no need at all)

I lost count of the number of – usually pale/grey – cars with no lights at all, in visibility that could be measured in feet, at best. I don’t understand what goes through someone’s head, that whole “well, I can see fuck-all, but I’ll keep my lights turned off, because even though I can’t see, it’s Day Time, so I don’t need lights” kind of process.

Equally, I don’t get how people can consistently drive with a broken/non-working headlamp, and the massively-reduced visibility that gives. I know it happens, that they can just blow without warning – I’ve had it happen. But when it has happened, it gets replaced rapidly – particularly in Autumn and Winter. Even in the poorest days, you (or at least I) still make sure that the car is safe.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case with a lot of people, and it’s a mindset I just don’t get.

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