Good news! The Medea stuff worked after all.
Huzzah! &c, &c.
It's vacation time now. No-one around. No papers to mark. Just a conference to look after at the weekend (apparently I'm now the School of Classics' "director of events". Can I have a budget, please?)
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!
Okay. So months ago (before Christmas to be exact) I had this great idea for my thesis: Valerius Flaccus and locus horridus landscapes. I'd just come off the back of some great stuff in Lucan, and a cursory glance the VF suggested that there was some good stuff there too. And - for once - there was a crown for my glory: Medea and the grove of the Golden Fleece, which would cap the other material I was writing and nicely bookend the chapter with the witch Alcimede (Jason's mom) and Medea - prepsychobitchfromhell, natch.
Anyway. So I get through 3/4 of the work, and feel quite good about it -until I get to Medea. Which doesn't fit after all. So it's back to the beginning again for a thorough re-jigging.
Damn thing's due in on Thursday.
Bugger.
Anyway. So I get through 3/4 of the work, and feel quite good about it -until I get to Medea. Which doesn't fit after all. So it's back to the beginning again for a thorough re-jigging.
Damn thing's due in on Thursday.
Bugger.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
Real people vs. Idiots
Today I tried to renew my student overdraft. I don't really use it that often, but it's nice to have for those "end of the month" moments.
So, I thought, I shall phone the bank's phone banking service; it will save me a tramp.
Oh, fool me. A tramp I should have undertaken, for it would have saved me much anguish and time.
First: I am bad at remembering security details. Cue 10 mins of resetting my security numbers.
Then, I get through to a person. Aha! Sense.
Or not. "I have to check with a manager about your overdraft".
"oh, okay".
Hold music... hurrah. Not Greensleeves. This is Good.
Then: TONETONETONETONE.
This is new. Much better than "hold muzak".
Oops. No, they just hung up on me.
Right. Dial again. REMEMBER NEW SECURITY CODE! YES! HURRAH!
"Hello. I was just in the process of renewing my Student account overdraft, when I got dropped by the phone. Can you help me?"
"No. You've been declined. You're not allowed an overdraft".
"But I have a student account. That's part of the deal"
"Sorry. You've been declined by a manager. I am just a paid monkey. You'll get no help from me, and there's no point asking anyone else because we all have the same information - which is to decline you"
"Well, can I speak to a manager?"
"They'll tell you exactly the same thing. We all hate you"
.... and so on ad infinitum.
So. I phone my local branch. Who are lovely, and tell me that anyone in a branch will help me, so I can go to the local one. When I do this, it takes 2 minutes, my overdraft is renewed, and I'm being told that the phoneline people are morons.
Why is this? I mean, each of these people had the same information available to them. Yet the people on the phone just refused to accept that I was entitled to something that I had signed up for in their own terms and conditions.
I guess the moral of the story is that trying to avoid a walk ends up costing you more time. Or something.
Grrr.
So, I thought, I shall phone the bank's phone banking service; it will save me a tramp.
Oh, fool me. A tramp I should have undertaken, for it would have saved me much anguish and time.
First: I am bad at remembering security details. Cue 10 mins of resetting my security numbers.
Then, I get through to a person. Aha! Sense.
Or not. "I have to check with a manager about your overdraft".
"oh, okay".
Hold music... hurrah. Not Greensleeves. This is Good.
Then: TONETONETONETONE.
This is new. Much better than "hold muzak".
Oops. No, they just hung up on me.
Right. Dial again. REMEMBER NEW SECURITY CODE! YES! HURRAH!
"Hello. I was just in the process of renewing my Student account overdraft, when I got dropped by the phone. Can you help me?"
"No. You've been declined. You're not allowed an overdraft".
"But I have a student account. That's part of the deal"
"Sorry. You've been declined by a manager. I am just a paid monkey. You'll get no help from me, and there's no point asking anyone else because we all have the same information - which is to decline you"
"Well, can I speak to a manager?"
"They'll tell you exactly the same thing. We all hate you"
.... and so on ad infinitum.
So. I phone my local branch. Who are lovely, and tell me that anyone in a branch will help me, so I can go to the local one. When I do this, it takes 2 minutes, my overdraft is renewed, and I'm being told that the phoneline people are morons.
Why is this? I mean, each of these people had the same information available to them. Yet the people on the phone just refused to accept that I was entitled to something that I had signed up for in their own terms and conditions.
I guess the moral of the story is that trying to avoid a walk ends up costing you more time. Or something.
Grrr.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
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