Touch Luke

Home from my trip to Italy.
It was an awesome holiday tour, but I am knackered now!
I was thinking of moving there for a while, but there are too many things in the UK that I would miss, not to mention people.
I read The Lovely Bones whilst I was there too, and that made me feel a bit weird and realise that I need to focus on what I have more, and not so much on what I don't have. Things will work out in the end, right?

What items will I forget to pack for my trip to Italy?

I don't understand this Northern Ireland struggle, and what difference it really makes whether it's independent or not. Why can't everyone get on with their lives and be happy?

Hey, I'm new here, so say hi!
Gonna try to use this lots, cos I like how it connects all my other profiles across the web, and I need to have something other than Facebook to check every day!
xxx

Journal

Keeping a journal / diary has always been something I wanted to do, but when it comes down to it, I can never be bothered to actually put pen to paper.  On top of the not-bothered-ness I also have the worry that someone else would pick it up and read about all the rubbish I write - kinda like on here!

Then my mate mentioned to me about this Microsoft Courier; an electronic journal that you can write in freely and email from, browse the web on, etc.  I think that's an awesome idea!
But then I found that Microsoft have scrapped it!  Big disappointment, even though I have only been excited about it for around a day, lol.

So now I'm looking for a similar product to use as a handheld electronic journal.  Is the iPad going to be the big obvious answer to that, or are there alternatives?

In the mean time I will have to practice in a proper real life paper one!

Counter Culture

I was reading a police forum online the other day, and came across something that really struck a chord with me.  The discussion was actually based on what constitutes common assault.  It's a little complicated, but it can technically be anything as minor as shaking your fist at someone to make them think you're gonna hit them. (Battery is when you actually hit them)

Anyway, one of the moderators in the discussion asked the question of whether the police should actually be dealing with some of the silly squabbles that some people have - and it's the ones that regularly cause the squabbles that expect the police to turn up to their rescue if someone else then decides to shout back.

People call the police to report things like, "One of the kids over the road threw a snowball at me", and "My boyfriend won't give me some of my clothes back, I want the police to go round there and get them back", or one that I actually heard recently "My daughters limo won't be able to fit up our long, bendy driveway at the weekend; could the police cordon off the road for us to use instead?"  Is that what these people really think the police are here for?

The present zeitgeist seems to be that if you have a problem, you just go up to the right counter and somebody else will sort it out for you.  Are none of us capable of sorting out our own problems?  Are we just too stupid?  Or is it in fact clever to get specialists to deal with our personal predicaments for us?
Or are we subject to a totally lazy 'counter culture', encouraging a complete deferral of responsibilities?

Ok, so consulting experts is always a good idea if you have a dilemma, but I think people should be able to sort out their squabbles without phoning the police, shouldn't they?

Supersize Me (a little)

I just joined the local gym!

I've joined Godalming Leisure Centre

I got a corporate discount, so it wasn't too pricey.  It's a bit small though, and the facilities aren't as plush as the ones at my old gym, but it's nice enough, and I'm hoping I can motivate myself to go regularly.  It's on the road where I live, so I really don't have any excuse to not go now!  And it's only a monthly rolling contract, so I can cancel at any time.

My induction with a personal trainer is on Monday, and he's gonna measure all my bits!  Arms, legs, waist, weight, etc - so that I will hopefully see a measurable difference, which will keep me more motivated.

I want to make sure I'm as healthy as possible, but also would like to bulk up a little cos I'm skinny.  Has anyone got any tips for foods or supplements to get me going?  Obviously protein-rich foods are good, but I don't want to be drinking raw eggs!

Summery Theme

I've decided to change my theme to a more bright and summery one, because I don't get to see the Sun much while I'm stuck in my room with the curtains closed, blogging on Vox.

Identity Theft Protection

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I just got off the phone to my credit card company, because I had to activate my new credit card, and they tried to get me to buy some identity/fraud protection insurance.  I told them I wasn't interested.

But it made me wonder how many people do pay for insurance of this type.  When I got my new credit card I took out a Card Protection Plan because I have so many debit and credit cards, that I would be in a right fix if I had my wallet stolen.  They cover drivers license, passport, keys and travel tickets etc too, and it's not too pricey.  But my protecting my "identity" just seemed a bit too much.

They said that if someone got my mothers name from an ancestry website, and my date of birth, name and address (which are all easy to get hold of), then they could get out a big loan in my name, and probably open an account in my name to pay it into too. 
I said that if they did, then surely when I get the letter through the post saying I had taken out a loan, then I could just tell the company that it wasn't me.  The guy was prepared for this response.
He said that I might well be able to prove my identity, but that the legal costs for if the company took me to court could be very expensive.  He also said that the individual could just request to only be contacted by email (if the lender wasn't a particularly clever one).
I told him I get free legal representation at work through my union.  I don't actually know if they cover identity theft, but I didn't want to waste his time any more.

It seems to me as though identity theft is something for the banks and lenders to tackle with stricter procedures, not something that I should have to pay for.  And calling it "identity" theft is just deliberately provocative / emotive, because our identity is the most personal thing about us, and to have that taken away would be devastating.  Identity protection seems to me like a waste of money and just a way for banks to recover their legal costs from consumers rather than take the time to improve their policies and procedures.

What do you think?  Have you encountered identity theft?  Was it costly?  Or do you have Identity Protection?
I'd be interested to hear other people's points of view (i.e. people other than the banks who are trying to sell it to!)

QotD: Why I Blog

Why do you blog?
Submitted by littleduckling.

To fill my time at work, because my job is so dull!
Also, to keep a note of things I think about - I've never been any good at keeping a real diary!