Thursdays – full of the promise of the weekend

I LOVE Thursdays

Got my mum’s broadband connection up and running last night – complete with the whole “Install CD? manual? HA! I laugh at you!” then proceeded to plug all the cables in and use a browser (Firefox of course) to configure the router – job done.

Had to use those power adaptor wireless thingies (technical term) ‘cos her master phone socket is downstairs while the computer is upstairs – connection is good though. Now all I’ve got to do is add a TV card so my brother and me can wire the CCTV cameras into the computer and monitor/record remotely. Well, I do have to show mum how to use email and the browser to look up stuff which reminds me of when my dad was still alive and expressed an interest in computers. I set him up with a webcam and MSN and he chatted to some family a few times. It was only after he died my sister told me that she’d showed him my webpage at some point and he was very impressed – meant the world to me that he thought that. I miss him.

Got a lift arranged to get to Heathrow Saturday morning (7.30am flight – means we’ve got to be there at 5.30am…harsh), I also found out that Terminal 5 has 1 bar landside and LOADS airside and they all open at 5.30am so we’ll be good for breakfast (in a liquid stylee )

Dennis’ GF asked me last night if I was all ready to go. My reply? “All I have to do is throw a few things in a bag…I’ll do it 5 minutes beforeI leave.” (I’ll probably end up doing it later tonight – I’m actually too organised to leave it until the last minute).

Weather for the weekend is pretty good – temperatures around 16-18 degrees (memo to self: take a jumper), so some sight-seeing is the order of the day weekend – the Duomo is a breathtaking sight apparently (Bruno has practically ordered me to go see it…I will), of course the San Siro will be awesome (shame there’s no game there this weekend), and Italian women – oh where to begin…I’ve always been attracted to brunettes over blondes, and the Italian accent is the most sexy I’ve EVER heard.

Hmm…found some (humorous) phrases:

Dove è l’oliva più vicina giardino? - Where is the closest Olive Garden?
Dove disfaccio di questo corpse del bellboy? - Where do I dispose of this bellboy’s corpse?
Il vino è squisito, può io fondle i vostri genitals? - The wine is delicious, may I fondle your genitals?
Diretto me alla tomba del Mussolini, dato che lui era un uomo grande - Direct me to Mussolini’ grave, for he was a great man
Ho dormito con uno dei vostri locals, esso stings quando orino - I slept with one of your locals, it stings when I pee
Nessun contatto, gradisco guardare. Sentite l’odore di come la madre. - No touching, I like to watch. You smell like mother.

*grin*

And now to do some work…

BT = Bunch of Twats

And so it goes on. Got home yesterday to find the feckless BT engineer monkey had ignored the instruction to call my mobile number to gain access and just put another card through my door .

Needless to say, I was in a slightly aggrieved mood – as BT found out when I called them…

Anyway, as a result of last night’s call, followed up by this morning’s call, I got a very grovelling apology from one of their managers who promised an engineer would be out tomorrow morning to put everything right.

We’ll see .

Aaaaarghhhhh!!!

I’m not too happy…

Monday started well – had to shoot home to pickup a few things, and found that my landlord (Luminus Group) had contracted in some firm (BSG Property Services) to replace my leaking gutter (about time too – I’d only been complaining about it for about 5 years – but I digress).

Had to go back home about lunchtime and was sitting at my desk eating some lunch when there was a knock on the door – one of the BSG monkeys stood there looking sheepish (can monkeys actually do that?). Shuffling his feet, he (sheepishly?) asked if my phone line was ok – I checked – it was dead , no phone, no internet, no TV.

He apologised and said he’d been onto his office and they were arranging for a BT engineer to come out ASAP and get it sorted. No problem thought I, I’ll be back online by the time I got home.

Getting back to work, I had a few calls – first was the Luminus bod saying he’d heard what had happened, was very apologetic, and informed me that BSG were on the case to BT to get me connected again.

Next call was from Martin at BSG. Basically he said the same thing, but added that he’d given my mobile number to BT so they could contact me if they needed access to my house. I think I actually thanked him at this point…

Anyhoo, I got home to find a card from Openreach (the BT offshoot that carries out repairs) saying they needed access to repair the fault (why, I have no idea – the line was cut/knackered from the outside…).

Needless to say, I was not a happy snee.

Got on the phone to BT – god, I LOVE* their automated phone system – finally got a human to talk to. He was (for a call centre bloke), quite clued up and made sure it was noted that if access was needed, the engineer was to call my mobile – I work only 5 minutes from home so it would be easy to zip home, let them in, watch them doing their sorcery with little black boxes and such, then get back to work, happy in the knowledge I can surf for porn enjoy the merits of t’interweb.

No calls yesterday and my router is taunting me with it’s dead lights…feckers had better turn up today is all I can say.

And now I’m going to call BSG and demand some compensation – I mean, I’m trying to run a fledgling business from home and have no phone line (most customers will call that line first before a mobile number – too many chavs running dodgy scams from mobile numbers) and no internet access.

On another note, I shaved last night – first time I’ve been clean shaven since June 24th (Lee’s funeral – RIP mate).

At least it’s Wednesday – traditionally the day that the weekend is planned…last weekend was a good one – no idea as of yet what I’ll do this one coming though…

Oh well, best get on with some work – laters.

* May contain traces of sarcasm

Virgin Media

Aka: scum of the earth.

Back in October I signed up with Virgin Media (previously called NTL) to provide me with internet, TV and phone. When I signed up, I requested that my existing BT phone number be transferred and gave them the BT account number to enable them to do this.

Some weeks went by and I’d not heard anything about an installation date, so I made my first call to ‘customer services’.

Turns out I’d dropped off the system regarding installation so a date was given. Now I’d given explicit instructions as to where I wanted the phone/TV/internet points placing so I was just a little miffed when I found they’d put them all in one place then run cables along my skirting board ALL OVER THE FECKING ROOM!

Anyway, I took a deep breath and relaxed, then picked up the phone to make a call. Imagine my surprise when, midcall, the other phone (I have a wired one and a cordless unit) rang – turns out my BT number was still live (as a BT line), and Virgin Media had given me another number.

This led to my second call to ‘customer services’ where they apologised and promised to have the phone line sorted out by the 19th (this was the 14th). I made it clear I wasn’t going to pay for the line rental at all until they’d sorted it out as I originally requested.

The 19th came and went and lo and behold my BT line was still live and I had a different number on the Virgin line. Sick of ringing the ‘customer services’ number, I decided to email them direct from their website – this went ignored. I emailed them again from my Virgin email address also asking them for my webspace details as it wasn’t letting me login – this also went ignored. I bit the bullet and phoned the muppets at ‘customer services’ again, telling them that if they couldn’t provide the services I’d requested in full to just tell me, and I’d cancel everything and just go away. The person on the other end made soothing noises, then, not allowing me any time to protest, said “I’ll just put you on hold and discuss this with…” so I sat there for about 2 minutes listening to some terrible hold music, then they just disconnected me…

I was fuming at this point and put everything down in an email to them, stating that I really wasn’t happy with the way ‘d been treated thus far and didn’t want to be with them anymore.

And so that was how it was left – I expected a letter from them saying when they’d pick up their equipment etc.

The next thing I receive form them is a bill, which I smile at and bin. Next there comes a letter asking me to sign the contract and return it to them – this I also smile at and bin.

Monday this week, my internet has been disconnected, and the TV isn’t giving me all the channels. Great I think, they’ll be picking stuff up soon. Then I get ANOTHER bill for almost £70.

So I rang them, again. I didn’t let them get a word in, just told them I was going to charge them for storing their equipment and wasn’t going to pay a penny for their (alleged) service (more like dis-service).

That’s how it’s been left – I signed back up with BT and am waiting for my connection date (hopefully before Christmas).

And that’s how my week’s been .

Harriett’s all moved out now – finished all that on Monday, my house is full of her stuff (but neatly stored so it still looks like a house and not a box maze), my Christmas tree is (finally) decorated (and looking pretty damn good – I’ll post a pic), presents all wrapped and under it, cupboards are full of food, just have to buy more beer and I’m all set.

I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year

EDIT: Here’s my tree: