By Slanted Light

So this was a tricky day. As I was waking up and thinking randomly, as you do, and lazily planning what to do for the day, I suddenly realised that what I might need to do to try and combat the damp in the bedroom was rearrange bookcases... because as I stared at the corner, I realised that I could fit another bookcase along the inside wall, and I probably only hadn't because I'd been trying to maximise the number of shelves by being able to put stuff on top too. And it would mean I could move the bookcase out of the nasty problematic corner too... Which would, in fact, make me quite happy. *g*

So I went from this to this... added bonus that I can access my Pros/fandom shelves and my books more easily. Why didn't I think of that before?!

I guess it makes the room feel a little smaller, but I don't spend alot of time in there... and I do like looking at bookcases full of books. And fic. *g*

Less happily, it turned out there was another nasty damp patch on the back of the wall, and a gentle fluff of green on the back of the bookcase, so I had to clean that. Then, being me, I had to move the books from the other bookcase to the new one at the end of my bed, because then they'd run around the room starting from A, rather than in an alphabetical muddle (shush...), and since I was taking the books off it anyway, I thought I'd better move the other-corner bookcase and check and clean behind it - and although the wall looks fine, there was white mold on the bottom of the bookcase - waaah! So I had to deal with that too, and then it needed to dry overnight, so ack for mess of a room to go to bed in!


Luckily there were other happy things to think of - reading fic in the garden, and then discovering these odd tall purple flowers, growing randomly wildly beside my sitting-out garden! *g*

(Anyone know what they are?)

And the deep blue of these flowers always makes me happy. *g*


How about you - what's making you happy this weeknd?

Okay, sorry, this is not a happy post, this is a grumpy-wtf-is-up-with-my-world post. It may or may not be connected to today's early start at work (7.15am). See, I got up and had a shower, as usual, and as usual I had shower-thoughts (your mind is freed up for them, when you're doing things that don't require concentration). And...

- finishing work on 5th Feb rather than the end of Feb means a month's less income before I'm unemployed
- finishing work on 5th Feb rather than the end of Feb means there are two months left in the tax year rather than just one

Both of these things make it unfeasible to take the month off that I thought I could take if I didn't find a new position before then. If I do have to go back to proofreading and the like, I did not want to have to deal with self-employed tax again this year. I just wanted a year off that, a whole year - that was my plan in originally moving). They also mean that it's probably a bad idea for me to spend money on treating myself to a Christmas market in Germany this year, which was something I'd been looking forward to.

Bollocks.

Also, the only new lj post in my flist was from a favourite author, announcing that she, too, would be leaving lj.

Double bollocks.

So - I know the work thing doesn't really make a disastrous difference in the end. Well, apart from losing the month's income. I still have to find a new job, and going back to proofreading may still end up being necessary (assuming it's possible). It takes away my emergency option, and the possible treat - a relaxed month - that I was using as something to look forward to in the worst case scenario of not already having something lined up. But... oh, it feels disastrous right now...

Could there please, please be some happy good posts in my flist today, if anyone has a minute? Maybe even... dare she breathe it?... some Pros?

*sighs* Right - breakfast...

I remembered to take my camera with me on the way to the supermarket yesterday... *g*(That is the pretty way, up through the Mendip hills. I'm actually in the middle bit between the Mendip Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - equal to, but not quite the same as, a National Park) and the Cranborne Chase AONB, and believe it or not, this picture was taken in neither. *g*

( A rant about the bloody rave... )

Really what I was going to say though, was:
a) I did watch WtHCO, it's just taking me forever to do the pictures again!
b) I'm working today, so I can hopefully finish early on Wednesday, but on the bright side I just came across a reference to fandom in one of the docs I'm working on - a completely mainstream academic subject, treating fandom as a perfectly mainstream thing that happens! *g*
c) I also gave in yesterday, sort of on impulse, and bought a sat-nav... *sighs* I don't want to, cos I do think I'll end up with less of an idea myself of where I am, but I realised why I was finding it harder to navigate via maps these days. It's got nothing to do with the maps or my brain - it's my eyes! Trying to map-read means I'm going from long-distance-glasses viewing to no-glasses-close-reading - and of course you really can't glance at a map while driving when you need to adjust glasses to do it... So I had to give in - dammit! If nothing else it's more stuff to lug around that's got to be protected from being pinched... It's all charged and updated and stuff and ready to go, and I shall try and get out tonight to test it... if I get on and finish the next document. But I'll take my camera with me. And then I'll come home and finish off my WtHCO post, cos lovely slashy lads... *g*

How're you doing, this sunny Sunday?

Just... waaaaah! Apparently Book Depository was taken over by Amazon a year ago - how did I miss that news? I've been using it as my alternative-to-Amazon online bookshop for ages now... I buy from actual shops whenever I can, but parking in Cambridge is such a bugger that I'm in town a lot less often these days, and I do buy books online... I buy from Amazon too, because sometimes it's effectively the only way, but Book Depository was my seller of choice - especially when I read about Amazon's tax avoidance, even of what little money presumably doesn't go to the American over-company in the first place...

So... well now what? Does anyone else have an alternative to the big corporative giants? AbeBooks is also owned by Amazon... I'm currently eyeing Foyles as a possibility - still apparently independently owned, and paying its UK tax, and of course when I'm in London it's on the way back to the train station I use, and I like the store... Has anyone else mail-ordered from Foyles?

Any ideas? Or is everyone all kindled-up, and I'm the last lj-er to care...?

Just a wee grump and rant to get it off my chest...

Around this time last year I was flicking through my December bank statement, and noticed that the AA had taken membership fees from my account. I nearly flicked right past it, but then I thought hang on, I resigned from them ages ago cos I've got my other cover now.... I called my bank and they said eep, and eventually I had a form from their fraud department to fill in, and my money was returned to me, and finally a letter from the fraud dept saying that everything was sorted out now.

So.

I was flicking through my December bank statement tonight, and I noticed that the AA had taken membership fees from my account... Bastards! And my bank - bastards - what are you doing giving the money to them?!

Again??!!

The even more annoying thing (it actually can get more annoying) is that I had a phone message from the AA just as I was leaving for Australia, saying that they'd tried to take a direct debit from my account, and not been able to because my card had expired, and could I call them? So I did call them when I got back, and was told that there'd been an error, and when I cancelled my membership they'd accidentally suspended me for several years instead, and that because my account had reactivated, they'd tried to take my membership and then I'd received the call. They were ever so sorry, they'd make sure I was down as cancelled, and that all calls/marketing to me was "suppressed", and they were ever so sorry.

Two weeks later they took over £100 out of my account.

Bastards!

I don't even know how it was possible, because they called me to complain that my card wasn't working for them, I certainly didn't give them my new card details (it had expired and been replaced in between) and my bank says it was a card payment not a direct debit, so what I'd like to know is who gave them my bloody card details? Eh, my bank? Who was it?!

Grrr... My bank's fraud dept are calling me back within 24 hours apparently, and I suspect it'll turn out alright in the long run - it'd better - but I've since googled and found out that actually I'm not the only person this has happened to. It was featured on the BBC news way back in April 2011, and apparently the AA said they'd stop it happening again. Hah!

Check your bank statements guys - and if I were you, I'd make sure never to set up an automatic payment to the AA...

And there was me all set for a lazy, relaxing, stress-free weekend at home, doing nothing more fretful than deciding whether to chance a glass of wine with my shiny new antibiotics (don't ask, stoopid face-ache...) Gargh!