22 September 2003 10:11 [link]
hanging on the telephone
We got a red demand (sorry, "reminder") from BT. It had "Direct Debit - the smarter way to pay" written across the top. I thought this was odd, since we already pay by direct debit.
It took me five minutes to get through their "if you would like to listen to some more soothing music, press 1" menu system, before spending a further fifteen on hold. They really make it hard to give them money.
The lady explained that the payment was for the last bill at our old flat, and they don't take those out on direct debit. So it seems it's not the smarter way to pay at all, whatever their bills say.
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22 September 2003 08:57 [link]
trying to see the good in insomnia
Not a good night's sleep. I started with "puzzle dreams" where I had to do something complex, and couldn't, and couldn't sleep properly while my addled brain wrestled with the problem. And then, after a few hours of sleep, I just got insomnia. Real, honest-to-goodness, lying-wide-awake insomnia.
After a while, I gave up, accepted the inevitable, and got up. It was 6am, but I'd been planning a bit of a lie-in.
Still, I got stuff done. I sorted all the bills and letters and things that had been accruing. While lying awake I solved a couple of problems in some code I'd been playing with for work.
I can appreciate the pleasure of being up early, and I can see why some people do it regularly (my dad, for example, gets up earlier at the weekends because he's on his own time and wants to get things done). The world is your own. It's peaceful and quiet and no-one's around to disturb you. Given the right weather conditions it can be really quite beautiful. I just don't seem to be able to get up in time to do it, that's all.
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