Waste down

The bloody catalytic converter on my car has disintegrated. It's in the shop. I thought it was a blown head gasket. It was lucky it died when it did, right outside my parents' place. It's still under warranty and it was possible to limp back to the garage. So I have a courtesy car today. I don't like it very much and the tyre was flat yesterday, so I had to pump that up.

Ruth's birthday was quite good. We went to the Japanese style restaurant and ate Japanese food. The Dragon was more than impressed and they even have a Japanese grpcery store there so we can get supplies. It's Chinese New Year by the way. We got parcels from Taiwan and the Dragon spoke to her family. Isn't Skype wonderful?

I'm at work but the Dragon is going for a check up at the doctor today. She just called me in fact and you'll all be pleased to know that everything is fine with Herbert. Has anyone noticed that the dragon has started writing in her diary again by the way? It's no good looking unless you speak Chinese though. She types that quicker than English. Oh, and she wants a food processor thingy for her birthday, so that makes it easy for me. I think she may have to wait until the weekend to actually get it however.

The power went off at work this morning. It was off for quite a long time in fact. I think one of the workman outside must have put his spade through a cable.

You know, every day I come to work here and I have to cross over the Severn Bridge. It's a toll bridge and there are little people standing in booths collecting money. How do those people get there? There's nowhere to park and you can't walk there? You can only see these people from the waste up and I got to thinking, maybe they're naked from the waste down. I think I'd collect money naked from the waste down. I might get some kind of periscope so I can check. The window on the courtesy car doesn't go down properly and I have to open the door anyway. Maybe tomorrow I'll leap out and just look.

Sir Ian Blair, Met Cheif of police is already in trouble for tactless remarks last week about a child murder case. This week he is in trouble over the accidental shooting of a man on the London tube after the July bombings. An alleged leak reported by the News of the World newspaper, would seem to indicate that evidence was tampered with. The case is currently being investigated. If this turns out to be true, it would spell very bad news indeed for Ian Blair. The Telegraph today is suggesting that police logs were doctored to conceal the fact that the victim was wrongly identified.

Think of something fast

I'm going to Devon over the weekend. Apparently we have 6 boxes waiting for us from Taiwan that were sent by surface mail. That means my software has arrived and I can finally finish building the PC. I won't have any time over the weekend to do it however. It's Ruth's birthday on Sunday and we are supposed to go out with her and Pete for lunch on Sunday at a Japanese restaurant.

Today marks the end of my first week in this job. It's borring, but it pays the rent and it's not as if I am doing anything frightening. I am having trouble with cross references however. I'm still having to fight the urge to do a few minutes stand up every time I hear a Welsh accent.

It's the Dragon's birthday on Wednesday and I haven't thought about a present for her yet. More worrying is the fact that I won't have much time between now and then to do a sly shopping expedition. I will have to think of something fast. Maybe a mail order thing. Valentines day is also approaching.

Met police chief Ian Blair is in deep smeg over remarks he made yesterday about the case of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman who were murdered about 2 years ago. In fact, all he said was that he couldn't understand why the media hyped the particular case and not others at the time involving racial minorities. He was in fact accusing the media of race bias. I think it's a fair point and it's something we touched on in this very journal a while back. Jim the journalist actually made the point about white people making better news stories than black or Asian. I don't usually support Ian Blair and have little respect for him, but in this case, I think I'm going to support him. He wasn't tryign to diminish the importance of the case in question, merely asking why it got more column inches than other stories at the time of similar importance. I think he has a right to that opinion.

Nearly the weekend

I should mention the row about Google censoring itself in China. I have some sympathy for the company. They are quite right when they say that China would block them completely if they didn't censor. It also should be recognised that the engine apparently does spew up messages informing users of what they aren't allowed to see. It could be argued that that measure is very positive. The question is, what kind of emssage does this send Beijing? Is Google bowing to their wishes, or are they compromising?

George Galloway got kicked out of the Big Brother House last night along with Dennis Rodman. He's spend the last 24 hours defending his decision to go in. He's come up with some credible arguments and it emerged yesterday that he wasn't collecting his salary while he was in there which will shut a lot of people up.

I've written to the bank again.

Dickie says that banks are acting like tossers due to new money laundering laws. This isn't true. I was quoted legislation as I was blowing my stack in NatWest and it was legislation from 1997. That's not new. It's before 9/11 in fact. Besides, eventually it was possible to obtain a bank service using only a letter from me as confirmation of my wife's address, so it must be legal. It could be that the law is being interpreted over-zealously of course.

You know what I think the problem is - kids. The first time I was turned away I was told that NatWest simply couldn't help us, by an enthusiastic 18 year old. The second time I was told they could help us if I provided a letter, by a more mature woman. When I returned on the next visit I was turned away again by a young girl who thought the letter didn't contain enough information. The final visit almost resulted in failure again when I was told, by a child again, that the letter wasn't good enough and we needed a bank statement from Taiwan. It was only when the more mature manager came out that things got done. Can you see a pattern forming here?

The Prince of Wales says we should all walk and cycle more because it's good for us. Right, and according to him, so is homeopathy. What a knob.

I'm the only gay in the village

You know, it rather pains me to admit it, but I seem to be quite into Celebrity Big Brother. I missed it for a few days between leaving the parents' house last week and getting TV working in the new place on Monday. I didn't miss any evictions it seems. What pains me slightly more is the fact that I have to say that George Galloway has gone up in my estimation since he appeared on the show.

I didn't know a lot about George over and above the fact that he is anti Iraq war to the point of being pro Muslim. That's not a bad thing in itself, but he has also upset muslim groups somehow in the process. He has been accused of syphoning off funds from Iraq that were meaent to help the needy there. I never believed that he did it, but the media made a good job of rubbishing him. The Telegraph accused him of receiving money from Saddam, whom he did meet, and was then sued by George. The Telegraph appealed and lost again. All this made me think that he probably wasn't a particulary nice man. He was buddying up with a tyranical dictator after all.

I never hated George however. One has to have some respect for anyone that managed to get expelled from the Labour party, then stand against them representing another party and win. George did just that and managed to displace Oona King. He also stood up in front of the American sennate and soundly thrashed them when they accused him of taking money in the oil for food scandal. You have to hand it to him, I was cheering him on when that happened.

It was Big Brother however that made me think that he probably isn't as bad as the media paints him. I have a problem with a paid MP taking 4 weeks off unannounced to play Big Brother. That said, I'm sure he isn't the only MP out there taking free lunches. He has been critisised very harshly for this his part in the show and the media is preparing for a field day when he gets out. But, over 8 million people watch that show, and he has shown himself to be intelligent, a strong leader, a diplomat, a problem solver, calm in stressful situations, and basically likeable. All the other housemates seem to look up to the guy. Those are surely all the qualities required of a politician and leader.

I'm waiting for the media and the Labour Party to attack George when he gets out. But the interesting thing is, that while he's always being trashed by the media and his old party, no one has ever managed to make anything stick. I can't help thinking he's going to turn this round to his advantage. I hope he wins. I never thought I'd hear myself say that about George Galloway.

Abby makes an interesting comment on the last entry. If we are told that DNA database records for juveniles not charged with anything were removed, would it really happen? I suppose we can't be sure, and I certainly wouldn't trust politicians. If however we are told the data is removed, it's difficult to see how the government could use it legally. It still leaves the problem of rougue authorities in the future abusing it of course, like the BNP for instance. The sensible thing is never to let them take DNA samples in the first place. Becasue, even when you know, you never know!

My windscreen washer bottle ran out of liquid as I drove here this morning. I hate when that happens.

Slightly stupid

Two notes yesterday, both of which suggest I should change my bank. I did think of this of course, the problem is that all banks here appear to make life as difficult as possible to open accounts. It makes one wonder just how they stay in business doesn't it. Had I decided to switch to another bank I would have to go through the same procedure myself. I could provide the necessary details, but we would still have the same problem with the dragon. I will be writing to the bank again with my views about this and I'll keep you informed.

Talking of the dragon, she seems to have an idea about starting her diary page again. She wrote about three entries and then lost enthusiasm. I think the new life on the other side of the planet is prompting her to start again.

Life here in the manual writing business is pedestrian. They've shut me away in a little room by myself. I don't mind that; it means I don't have to interact with the natives. NOt that the natives aren't nice, they seem very friendly so far. I have a constant desire to make fun of the Welsh accents all around me, but that would probably not be advisable. The hours are funny too. I have to start at 7.45 and finish at 4.30. It takes an hour to get here, but at least I am home early. I also only work half a day on Friday, so it's like a long weekend. I could do without paying the Severn Bridge toll every day, but I can claim it back on tax I understand.

It seems the Lords have trashed the id cards bill again. I heard the argument this morning as I drove here. The government are claiming that the scheme is voluntary because no-one has to have a card. Anyone that wants a passport however will be required to register and provide biometric data. This effectively means that 80% of people will have to have the card. The Lords have seen through it however and sent it back. It also emerged last week that 24,000 DNA records exist on police computers from juveniles that were released without charge. That my friends is outrageous, though there are moves afoot to remove these records from the database. My question would be, how did they get there in the first place?

Tony Blair is in some trouble at the moment. He's trying to get his unpopular education reforms through and he has rather staked his position on it. I wouldn't be too confident that the Labour party doesn't call his bluff. There are plenty of people who would like to see Gordon take over. The Telegraph this morning is forcasting a rebellion of MPs over the id card issue.

You know, I did something slightly stupid. I packed all my software into a box in Taipei and mailed it to England by sea. I suppose I have some excuse for my actions since I was expecting to have a working computer when I arrived here, but I really should have had more foresight. It's been 2.5 months now and it hasn't arrived yet. It must be imminent I think. I do hope so. I have no DTP packages.

I'm working

It's been a while hasn't it. I'm stressed you know. I'm working for a large manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in South Wales from today. It's just a 10 week contract. The money is quite good, but that doesn't stop me wondering what will happen next.

The house was relatively OK when we returned to it. The tennents have somehow ruined the downstairs carpet and smashed a lamp. The kitchen also seems to be in a bit of a state. One lavatory was leaking, and there was some serious porn left in the filing cabinet.

The porn consisted largely of magazines for those interested in domination fetishes. There were also a number of contact magazines with page corners turned down at places were local people were advertising. Perhaps the most interesting items however were the ky jelly, rubber glove, and silver vibrator. I don't make this stuff up people. You'd really think they'd be too embarrassed to leave stuff like that behind wouldn't you.

But I digress. My stress is caused largely by the fact that the full horror of the responsibility of fatherhood has just hit me. We're only about 10 weeks away from start of baby condition. The house is a mess, I don't have a permanent job, and, and, well that's about it really, but that's enough isn't it? I think I'll try and get a simple job locally for a while when this contract finishes.

The house is actually coming together. We don't have anything to sit on, but today we get internet, tv, and phone connected. That's a start. In fact I called the dragon just now and the internet man already came, and it wasn't a man, it was a woman. So, if you're reading this, it probably came from my home.

People aren't making my transition from Asia to the West easy. I already mentioned that the computer got broken in shipment, and a glass dolphin, but actually we are getting compensated for that. Do you know what the most difficult thing has been? Let me tell you - it was getting the dragon a bank account. It took 4, yes 4 visits to the branch, a letter of complaint, and a massive row in Barnstaple branch before I actually solved this seemingly simple problem. I'll take you through it.

The first visit to a branch resulted in me being told that my wife couldn't have a bank account or access to mine because she couldn't provide any documentation to verify her address. I pointed out the folly of this policy bearing in mind that my wife has never had an address in this country but it did no good. That's when I wrote to the complaints department. I actually got a reply from the comnplaints department, and despite the fact that they ignored every one of the questions I asked, they did come up with a solution. My wife could have access to my account if I sent them a letter confirming that she is my wife and lives with me. Before the reply came I actually made a second branch visit (different branch) to see if the policy differed from place to place. The second branch also said I could write a letter.

On my third branch visit I came bearing the required letter. I was however turned away because it was addressed to "The Manager" and not the manager of a specific branch. It also didn't list enough bank details. I was annoyed at this because I believe I had provided what was asked for on the previous visit. However, I went away to correct the letter (they wouldn't let me update it with a pen in the branch).

The fourth visit I came bearing the new letter. This time everything was perfect, we even filled in the forms and signed them in four-plicate. Just as the rubber stamp was falling I was asked, "Does your wife have a foreign bank account?" I should have said no, or at least asked why they wanted to kow, but I didn't, I said yes. And the rubber stamp stopped in mid air. They told me they couldn't do it because they needed a statement from her Taiwanese bank account to verify her address. How a Taiwanese bank account statement, in Chinese, with her Grndfather's address on it, would have helped them, is beyond me. That's when it happened, I shouted, loudly and in animated fashion. The young lady assisting us (I use the term loosely) ran away scared and fetched her manager and I never saw her again. There were pointy fingers, angry gestures and a refusal to "leave this premises until my wife has acccess to a bank account". And eventually, it was done. The rubber stamp finally fell.

We still don't have an ATM card or cheque book, but I have hope. I'll be writing once more to the complaints people. I may start the e-mail "Dear Filth".

Blown Up

I can't remember whether I mentioned this in the last entry, but we got the crate we air freighted from Taiwan. Apart from a broken glass dolphin, all appeared intact. Sadly that was not the case. The PC didn't boot up and diagnostics have revealed that the motherboard, processor, and several other bits and pieces are all blown up. I can't understand how this happened.

The only thing I can think is that the scanners used by customs blew everything up. A handset for the robot I built also arrived dead, though that was in a different box. The only other thing could be that the power supply blew everything up. But I swear I switched it to the right voltage before I powered up. If I'd set the voltage wrong I'd have expected the first power up to result in a bang, but it didn't. No matter. As it turns out, both hard disks have survived and they were the only really important things. The playstation also survived.

With any luck we can claim on insurance for the computer and dolphin. In any case, my parents wanted to buy us a present to celebrate the coming of their grandchild and our return to Blighty. They were going to buy us air tickets, but of course that didn't work out so they said they would replace the computer. I'm not about to look that gift horse int he mouth and I'm going to see about it tomorrow.

Still haven't got a job, but I don't exactly know what to do about it. I need to go back to the house in Swindon and see what state it is in after 4 years of being let to lodgers. We have the choice of either settling there, or somewhere else. Ether way, I don't want to move again before the baby is born in April. I think the dragon wants to settle there for a while. If I can't find sensible work there, I can temp or take a contract. We'll see how it goes I guess. There is a job I sort of want in Surrey. I've applied for it and I could get it. Can't commute there from Swindon though.

Celebrity Big Brother; I've found myself strangely drawn to this vulgar exhibition. What made George Galloway think that was a good idea? And Rula Lenska; I though she was fairly smart, what a bimbo! I hope I get bored with it soon.

Charles Kennedy has admitted he has a drink problem and simultaniously signed his own politiical death warrant. Why does anyone feel sorry for him? It wasn't as if we didn't already know he was a drunk and I have the distinct impression that he wouldn't have come clean had his hand not been forced.

I'll be glad when I get the PC back. I don't think I will hook it up to the internet since there is no broadband here. That'll have to wait until next week when I work out where we will live. I can type up entried though, maybe get back to the novel if I get a few minutes, organise my iPOD again.

Did everyone have a good Christmas and New Year by the way? Sorry I haven't personally responded to all notes. I don't sign on everyday at the moment and when I do it's not usually for long because it ties up the phone. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate you though. I'll be back soon I promise.