Grumpy Old Woman

When I was younger, I was the perfect sucker. If you sold me a lemon, I'd suck it, even if I'd actually asked for an orange. Even today, if a product is faulty, I prefer to coerce the hubby into returning it. But every now and then my inner grump is let loose. Usually it involves computers or technology. I've gotten very good at complaining to telecos.

Tonight it involved a tow truck. Parked across my driveway.

I left the house this morning at 9:45am to go to choir. I went straight from choir to a contract job. I left work at 6pm. I stopped at the shops for dinner (don't shoot me). As I waited at the intersection across the road from home, I noticed flashing lights. It appears there was an accident at the next intersection down. I realised that a tow truck was parked right across my driveway.

As you face the road from the house, my driveway is on the far right of our property. The driveway of neighbour to my left is on the far left of their block. (Remember if you don't drive on the left-hand side of the road, you have turn these things around in your head to make sense ;-) ) The accident was a further three houses down the road. There is nothing between my driveway and the neighbour's driveway. And the block next to our neighbour is vacant - as in no house, long grass, resident snakes. It doesn't even have a driveway.

I pulled in behind the tow truck and flashed my lights. No response. I honked my horn. No response. I got out of my car and walked around to the driver's door. No driver. He's wandered up the street to check out whether he can make money out of someone else's misfortune. And left his dirty great big truck in front of my driveway.

I was tempted to walk up to the accident and ask a police officer to fine the driver. It is, after all, an offence to block a driveway. But I decided the police were probably attending to more important issues than my grump.

Just as I finish writing a "polite" note to leave on the windscreen, I noticed the driver walking back to his truck. He's a little bigger than me, just by a fraction. And his truck was a little bigger than my car. I stowed my note. He didn't even notice me and my car behind his truck. Not a wave, not anything.

My grump, which had been temporarily quietened by our difference in size, roared into life again. I rang his company. I complained. I was polite, but I was obviously a grumpy old woman in full flight. I figure they have identifying number plates on their trucks for a reason. I hope Mr Tow16 from 131Tow learns to look for driveways. And I hope he's grateful I only reported him to his boss, and not the police.

Banking Rant

I usually keep my blog for creative posts, but I've decided to become a ranter, at least briefly.

I just logged into my Citibank online banking for the first time in months. What a hugely frustrating experience. The site used to work fine, but it seems the tinkering boffins have been in and "improved it" (which seems to be programmer speak for "made unworkable"). If engineers live by the "don't fix what ain't broke" rule, IT boffins seem to live by "if it works fine, complicate it".

The issue I have:
1. I log in. I need a username (which is not my account name, so it's not recorded on any official bits of paper that someone could steal). I need a password, which I created myself. I now also need to wait for the bank to send a four digit code to my mobile. Since that's been implemented I have received my code within a few minutes, but I just know that one day I won't. It won't necessarily be the bank's issue, it might the teleco. It won't really matter to me who's at fault; the result will be the same.

2. Against my cash account I have a message, "Your card needs to be activated". There's a hyperlink, "Activate now". I click the hyperlink, thinking, "Wow, this is an improvement to having to ring up, push dozens of codes into the phone, and then wait for an operator." But, wait! It's all a hoax. When I click the hyperlink, I get a list of my cards. I have two cards - a cash account and a credit card. The list only has one card - for my cash account - and that card is listed as "activated". If I wish to activate the new card they sent me, it would seem I'm going to have to use the phone system after all.

3. I'm trying to balance my books for end of financial year. I hate financials and I'll admit I'm approaching this task with a lot of grace to start with. On the old system, there was an option on the main menu, "download activity". Clicking the button took you to a new page with all the download options. It took me a good 5 minutes to find a small pale hyperlink on the specific account page. Clicking it opens a floating window.
First option (the only one showing in the window) is to select a date range. In the "from" calendar I scroll back as far as it will let me. At some point, the dates grey-out and I can't select them. In the "to" I choose today.
When I press go, I'm informed that there are more options. Oh, yeah, look at that. There's a pale, skinny, scroll bar to the side. Even the option to download the activity is in a specific account's window, I have to choose the account I want. Finally, I've found all the options, but it still doesn't work. According to the error message I get, "the date range you have chosen is not available for this account". No indication of what date range is available - the dates I've chosen are still clickable on the calendar.
In the end, I give up. I keep clicking "show more activity" at the bottom of my transaction list. When I run out, I highlight the whole lot on the screen and copy and paste it into Excel.

4. I thought perhaps I should download all my available statements. They come through by email, but it's on the other computer and (silly me) I thought it would faster to download them again, rather than find them on the other machine.
I go to the 'view statements' page. It lists three accounts. I have had a third account in the past, but only had two accounts for several years. Oddly enough the account names are not the account name - they're all my name (in various forms). No indication which account they relate to, so I have no option but to click each one. Two of them return an error, telling me there're no statements to download. I download all the available statements for the third one - no idea which one it is until I open the files.

5. In fairness, I decide to send my rant to the bank. Here is one improvement - the message system used to be limited to about 300 or 500 characters, which is barely enough to get started. They still haven't fixed the issue of "special characters". Is there anything more galling to an editor than to be told you can't use apostrophes, because they're "special" characters? PUH-LEASE!

I don't use the online banking very often, but it is the only way I can access my account. There is only one branch, in the CBD. I'm thinking it's time to change banks. What a nuisance.

Insulators

I received this article this morning. The writer is not Australian, probably doesn't even know we've had an unpopular budget handed down. The protagonist of his introduction is a mystery to me; I've never heard of him.

However, I couldn't help but think that many of our politicians (of all ilks and stripes) are insulated. Insulated from the real world of every day people; every day people struggling to pay their bills, provide for their families and feel like they're getting ahead, at least a little. And certainly insulated from the real world of our country's poorest - those doing it tough through no fault of their own. Of course, that insulation means our pollies are unlikely to accept that it is through no fault of their own. And even if it is of their own making, what difference does that make to an empty stomach?

How does a 17 year old who's been kicked out of home keep life and soul together if they have to wait six month for government assistance? How does a family affected by natural disaster and a downturn in the local economy, leading to job loss, keep a roof over their head if there's no financial advice available to them? How does a disabled person, who is turned away from job after job because of their ailment, feed themselves?

I have no idea if this budget will adversely impact my own situation. No doubt it will. My concern is broader than just the budget. Our politicians seem to have become more educated and less intelligent in the things that really matter.

Unit value - learn some algebra, save some money

Today I went to buy ink for our you-beaut printer. Actually, I do really like the printer. The paper tray is enclosed, so the paper doesn't get all bent out of shape and dusty. There's a built in scanner, which is super easy to use. And the print quality is good.

But the ink is a scam.

At the store I was faced with a selection of ink for my printer. I really only needed black, but as I have no spare cartridges at home (a dangerous situation) I thought I'd grab some colour ones while I was there.

I had two size choices - normal, which is approximately 250 pages of black ink and 300 of colour ink, and XL, which is approximately 550 pages of black ink and 750 pages of colour. I'm sure the page quantities are exaggerated, based on pages with minimal printing, but that's the quantities nominated on the box.

I also had a choice of multi-packs or single packs. We are trained by ... well, I don't know what we're trained by actually ... but we are trained to think that "bigger is cheaper". But as I looked at the multi-packs I thought perhaps I was being conned. I dug out my notebook and calculator (phone) and did some quick sums.

Now, some people say algebra is a waste of time, but what I did was algebra. Taking the price of the package and dividing by the number of pages it will print will give the cost per page. Multiply that answer by 100 (for ease of comparison) gives you a cost per 100 pages.

And here's what I found:

A single black XL cartridge costs $4.72 per 100 pages.
A combo of 3 normal black cartridge (touted as being a bargain deal) costs $6.47 per 100 pages.

The cheapest way (that this store offered) to buy black ink is to buy the black and colour Xl combo box ($3.50 per 100 pages of black and $3.58 per 100 pages of colour). Online I can buy a pack of four XL black cartridges for $3.50 per 100 pages. Oddly enough, buying a pack of 15 cartridges costs $3.83 per 100, and a pack of 10 costs $4.11 - both cheaper than buying a single cartridge, but dearer than buying a four pack.

It pays to never assume that bulk is best and to work out unit prices, for which you'll need a smattering of algebra.

The asylum issue

I try very hard not to be ranty - here, on FB or in my communication with officials - but sometimes the soap box just has to be dusted off. There have been some incredibly shameful incidents in Australia in recent days; incidents sanctioned by government, incidents instigated by government policy. And I am disgusted.

Just a few from this week; JUST ONE WEEK:
Morrison: Offshore Camp Can Handle A Profoundly Disabled Child
Asylum seeker separated from her sick newborn in Brisbane
Job ads describe quandary of caring for unaccompanied children on Nauru

What I'd really like to do is slap a few politicians, teach them a few lessons about compassion and justice and being people focussed (things our daughter learnt before she was 10). In lieu of that, I've started doing something I've never done before - writing to politicians. Again, trying hard not to be a ranter, but that's difficult when I feel, firstly, outraged that this happening in my country, and secondly, so helpless to change anything. There's not a lot else I can do - sitting in middle class, comfortable Australia; enjoying my persecution-free, safe life with all its privileges.


When I read the article about the mother and baby yesterday, I sent an email to Scott Morrison, the guy in charge of the policies, the Minister for Immigration and "Border Control" (that should be 'sea border control', 'cause they don't care if you arrive by plane). (deep breath, deep breath). Today, with the disabled child and the unaccompanied children, I wrote again. I have to do something.

And today, not content with just sending an email to Mr Morrison, I thought I'd share my thoughts with the world, or that very small portion of it that reads my blog.

Email to Mr Morrison, Federal Minister for Immigration and [sea] Border Control

I am astounded. I am beyond dumbfounded. Quite frankly, I am gobsmacked that our politicians - one would presume incredibly smart and intelligent people since they're running the country - can be so woeful ignorant of the consequences of their policies. I'm dismayed that it's not just a Liberal or Labor problem. It appears to be rife throughout both major parties. Doesn't leave a lot of room for hope.
As leaders you, the politicians, 'set the tone'. The leader of any group or organisation sets the tone, determines the way forward, gives life to the vision that the people follow. Winston Churchill both represented and created the stoic British attitude during World War II. Similarly Hitler turned almost an entire nation, plus a few extras, into haters of the 'other'. A leader, for better or worse, sets the tone of the culture of the led.
And our current politicians appear to have no idea what future havoc they are breeding for themselves, for those that follow them into governance, or for the nation. Instead they have taken a narrow minded, short-term view - let's win an election, let's create fear, let's breed racism. And when the next Cronulla hits the news, you'll all stand back, wring hands, and say, "What is happening to our country." And no doubt, you'll all be out there stirring up more fear, more racism - creating a downward spiral of culture decay.
YOU set the tone, YOU determine the culture, YOU choose who or what to vilify and commend.
The government's current policy (and the previous governments' then policies) are creating a culture of fear, racism and xenophobia. No sooner had we started to undo the harm of the White Australia policy, the yellow peril and reds under the bed, than the government reintroduces the same fear, the same narrow mindedness. The 'enemy' may have changed; the attitude remains the same.
The policies of the past 15 years towards asylum seekers (NOT illegal - such an illiterate position) are sickening. They have created and will continue create a nation that is self-absorbed, self-seeking, cruel, and, quite frankly, ugly. These are people who have been through trauma that few, if any, of us can imagine. And instead of offering hope, compassion and justice, we heap more hurt, more indignity, more ugliness into their lives. And in doing so we remove the hope, compassion and justice from our own national culture. The danger to Australia's way of life is not those that come to us from overseas; the danger is the enemy within.
This is not a time to be proud to be Australian. Forget the ugly American. We are fast becoming the ugly Australians.
And the only ones who can change that are you - the politicians, all of you, any of you. Stand up for what is right, as a human being. Otherwise, move over McCarthy, Australia offers you, Morrison. Cruel, cold-hearted, unfeeling, more interested in party politics than people.
Sad. Very sad.