Ask a Stupid Question and You'll Get a Stupid Answer.
A few days ago I received this message on a family history research site:

Hi,

Do you know who the parents of Edith were?

Kind regards,
Pat

This is fairly typical of the standard of email I receive. I should mention that the subject of the email gave a surname too, but that is all. No date of birth or anything. How am I supposed to know who this is about if there are multiple Edith's with that surname?! So, fed up with these stupid emails, I replied with the following:

Hi,

To answer your question, yes.

Can I assume that you would like to know who they are? If so, then would you kindly like to supply me with sufficient information to allow me to actually figure out who you are talking about?

For example, John Smith (b1833, Henley, Oxfordshire) will allow me to pinpoint exactly who you are on about and will enable me to rule out multiple John Smith''s.

It would be a nice courtesy if you were to suggest names for, in this example, John''s parents. For instance, "Do you have John''s father as Edward (b1800, Droitwich, Worcestershire) ?" would be an excellent question when used in conjunction with the first example I have given.

Regards,
Lee

Then today I received this email:

What an arrogant individual you are!

I have been doing family research for around 10 years helping many people along the way and I have never seen such a rude reply in my life.

I am not going to respond to this directly. I have made my point but unfortunately it appears to have gone right over the head of this person. I was expecting a reply along the lines of a justification. Instead I got a completely unfounded attack on my character. It was a rude message from me but that is not the same as me being a rude or arrogant person. But, to be fair, I did assume that this Pat wrote all their emails in this way - which may well not be the case.

Even so, I do not think it that unreasonable a request. I could have used far less sarcasm, but I had had enough. So, Pat, it's nothing personal. If it hadn't have been you, it would've been someone else.

An Update
15:41 Mainland Wales

Move has taken place slowly and inefficiently. However, all is now settled and, on the whole, well.

Car window (rear screen) got broken again during a storm on Monday night. Part of the exhaust dropped off today.

Attempted to carry out some business in town but there was a power cut. Lights were flickering everywhere.

To calm down I have been playing on the flight sim until it crashed. I flew from Caernarfon to the Isle of Man, then to Belfast and was just on my way to Dublin when it crashed.

Sky has got on my nerves this week. Their ongoing bickering with Virgin is only making me sympathise with Virgin - a company I couldn't really have cared either way for prior to all this fuss. I could write a huge rant but sufficed to say, I think it has all been planned well in advance by the folks at sky.

Take care all.

A Progress Report.
18:21 hours, Anglesey.

Books, dvd's and cd's are packed. As is most electrical stuff. Clothes are being boxed tonight.

At 23:00 hours on 30/01/07 I finished watching 24 up to 19:00. It just got very good and viewing shall recommence at 21:00 today.

No enemy activity sighted. General is considering a plan of attack to occur in the coming days. Details are to remain classified until such time.

Progress report ends.

Snow in the Mountains.
There was such a lovely sight as I walked from my car to my house. Snowdonia was still coated in a thin layer of snow, and it still being light, I was afforded the sight of the sky's dusk shades reflected onto the snow. It was nice. I was going to take a picture, but it's dark now.

Anyway, I've nothing else to report. Other than I'm hungry and have a lack of money.

Take care

The Vultures Descend.
Am very annoyed right now. You will see why. But first, good news; I have found a new house and will be moving in the next few weeks.

Now for the bad news.

I will start by talking about the DVLA cos I think poor treatment of "customers" over the phone by folk whom I AS A TAXPAYER pay to keep in their f'ing job is f'ing appalling. The least they can do is not talk in a patronising, bored shitless and arrogant tone of voice.

I sent my licence off for the address to be updated. I left the necessary time before getting in touch and asking where it had got to. So I ring up and ask and they tell me they sent it in November and that I would have to pay them £19. I have to pay £19 because I didn't call within 3 months. Now it doesn't take a genious to work out that November is not yet three months away. So after 5 minutes of worming it out of the patronising get, I managed to find out that the 3 months is in fact 12 weeks from the date they received the licence.

So, folks, be warned.

I got a letter today, saying ever so casually that a certain company wanted £412 off me for the privilledge of moving out of this unsafe house and into a new one. I will be questioning this tomorrow but I think companies just see my coming and think "right, now how many ways can we charge this lad something".

ALSO, MOT is due on car. ALSO, car repair costs are due next month. ALSO, I'll be paying two rents. ALSO, I need to somehow hire a van but I don't have my driving licence do I?!

So next month I am going to be paying at least £1,194. Now, take the time to work this out. To afford all of that I would need to be earning at least £20,000 a year. Needless to say, I'm not. Needless to say, it's a f'ing high price to pay to have peace of mind, to be able to go outside on an evening, to be able to sleep all night without interruption, to have a house that doesn't freeze me halfway to hypothermia and most important of all to be happy.

Why is it that if you can be taken advantage of, companies just go ahead and do it. Whether it be a customer's naivity about your actual legal rights or just a 'simple' pressure sell to old people. Why, when it is perfectly possible to run a moral business do folk have to go for the cruel option; the option where a business is run on fear; the option where exploitation is a common occurence.

Is this really the level that we, as humans, feel obliged to sink to? I would have thought, that being able to think would give us an advantage over other animals. But no. Oh no. That would be far, far, far too easy. It's hard to be nice. Apparently. It's hard to do the right thing. Apparently. And society tries, subconciously, to drag all the good souls down with it when really they should be looking up to those few good people and encouraging, nurturing, but most of all LEARNING from them. THEY are the ones we should idolise and try to copy.

The world doesn't have to be so f'ked up.

Good News!
I did my audition for the Male Voice Choir tonight and I passed. So now I'm a proper member. You should've seen me grinning when I got the news!

Gossip From the Front Line.
There is one of these ferral youths whom I strongly suspect played a leading part in damaging my property. He got beaten up quite badly at the weekend. No sympathy from me - I laughed heartily when I heard this!

Also at the weekend, a lot of kids (about 30 so I'm told) gathered here in this village. For what purpose I have no idea, but since then, all has been very quiet.

News From the Front Line.
Unfortunately some people's idea of what constitutes "starting the new year on a high" differs greatly...

In my village, like just about anywhere in the UK at the moment, there are those sorts of kids that hang around outside the local shop wearing hoodies and tracksuit bottoms whilst getting drunk and taking drugs. Ferral youths I've heard them being described as. Up until the 2nd January I had had no trouble whatsoever with these lads, though they have been getting louder and more aggressive in general over the time I've lived here.

That was to change.

They started on me, smashed windows on my car and smashed one of my house windows. All in the space of 5 hours. The Police were called twice.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my suprise at how well I was treated by the Police that night and how well they're keeping me up to date. I know that there is not much they can do - but there rapid presence certainly stopped these people from going any further than they did - and it is this that I am very grateful for.

Alas I can't go into too much detail at this time as there is still the possibility of arrests happening, but the full story will be posted here at a later date.

As of today, the car has been fixed (at a cost of £250) but the house window won't be done until later this week. I'm physically undamaged - luckily for me, they were too drunk/high to punch properly. I am also making arrangements to leave this house and village posthaste. Work is being extremely supportive, as are the letting agents. I thank you both, here, publicly.

I have a new house lined up - there's just a few formalities to go through and then it's sorted. It's going to be expensive - but you can't put a price on personal safety can you?! Anyway, the costs will be minimised.

The Grand Christmas Tour of England.
This is the first post in a very long time where I've thought "where on earth do I start?!".

I'll start with December. I got my heating sorted - it's now on economy 7 and when they recalculated the bill for this 2nd quarter, I had to pay just £16.
Christmas was an impressive feat. The first Christmas party with work (the 'formal' do) was fun, I stayed out until 2:30am (we started drinking at 1pm). The second Christmas party (the unofficial one to celebrate the start of the holiday) went well. Only stayed out until 8:30pm but I had Tracy with me.

That last party was the Friday before Christmas Monday. Tracy came down and stayed until Sunday (Xmas Eve) where upon I drove her back to Blackpool. From Blackpool I then drove to Huddersfield to visit a couple of friends. They were VERY suprised to see me, but they seemed happy about it. I then drove down to the parent's house. I finished my epic journey just before 11pm Xmas Eve!

Christmas day and the week that followed it were wonderful; all I did was sit, eat, drink and watch old episodes of Stargate with Mum and Dad. Bliss.

For New year I drove up to Blackpool and spent New Year there. It was slightly strange being with a different family (and in yet another different place from last year!) but it was all good. New Year's Day I drove back here to Anglesey, with Tracy, and relaxed once more.

Evening's Greetings.
I haven't much to report I'm afraid. Can't say much about the peryl's of/at work and I haven't personally done much.

I have mastered lighting my coal fire. Trouble is the heat seems to stay in the living room and is afraid to venture further :-s
Received a request for my electricity meter readings but I doubt my price-plan has changed.

Tonight's tea is prawn curry with rice. I shall be supping a pint of guiness whilst playing Guildwars.

Today, life is good.