This is of course despite my former employer telling them twice and me telling them once that I no longer work.

Ironically enough she demanded that I prove that I’m not working. I begged the question how can you prove you’re NOT working, and she had little idea except for going to the job centre.

As if.

Could I perhaps show her a payslip that I don’t have? Could she speak to an employer that doesn’t exist? Who knows, yet she ended the call by saying as the CSA were not told that I’m no longer working, by me or by my former employer, that I’m still liable for the full deductions.

How on earth does that work? I no longer work at Just Search. I am not employed by them. The CSA have been told this on THREE separate occasions.

She even apologised for the fact that they hung up on me twice before, shortly before she, yes you guessed it, hung up on me.

You can’t make this stuff up, really.

Share on Facebook

Share this page

I notified the CSA that I was leaving in April this year, via letter, which you can read here. My employer also notified the CSA that I no longer worked there. You’d think that would be enough for the Child Support Agency, but no, despite being told twice, in writing, they still can’t take in any information and have just contacted my former employer with a payment schedule for a deduction from earnings order.

How many times do we have to tell these idiots the same thing?

The irony is that the DEO also comes with a stern warning stating that if you move house or change job you must notify the CSA within 10 days or face a £1,000 fine and a prison sentence. What’s the point in telling them? They don’t frickin’ listen anyway!

I’ve had it with the CSA. I told them I was leaving my job, almost three months ago now, and don’t have anything else to say to them. If they want to speak to me they know where I am and they know my number. They can get in touch anytime, night or day.

I’m listening…

Share on Facebook

Share this page

I general, I abhor shopping in supermarkets. It is a fairly dull, dreary task, that doesn’t get anymore exciting the more you do it. Shopping when they are busy is even more upsetting. To avoid this scenario, I tend to go into supermarkets, specifically Tesco’s in Congleton, before I get to work, around 7 – 7.20 am. Unsurprisingly, the store is very quiet at this time in the morning, which is exactly how I like it.

However, it is still open for business, at least that was the impression I got from the fact that the store has “24 hour opening”. So I was rather disappointed to find when I got the checkouts this morning, they were all closed. This wasn’t due to the lack of staff available, just an unwillingness to do any work. I was then directed to the “self serve” checkouts by what looked like a checkout supervisor (the supermarket equivalent of a Russian mafia boss).

I hate the self-service checkouts. My objection to self-service checkouts is pretty straightforward. I work a considerable number of hours a week, so I do not want to put in another 10 minutes at Tesco’s grappling with a machine that doesn’t know what a banana is. What annoyed me even more is that there was a checkout assistant on an actual checkout. Instead of being available for customers, she was wiping it down with a cloth, presumably on the off chance that she might have the ingenuity to open it and serve customers in the store.

As if this wasn’t enough, whilst using the self-service checkout, I had another (slightly obese) member of staff point out that my “satsuma’s were not oranges”. Thanks for that information you moron! She then carefully watched me toil with the self-service checkout until the transaction was complete. Instead of watching customers process their own shopping, would it not be more courteous to open a checkout?

Share on Facebook

Share this page

Now, just what is it with sycophants? If you’re unfamiliar with the word, it means someone who hangs on every word someone else says and no matter how meaningless or stupid what they say might be, congratulates them on their genius. People who follow someone around like sheep constantly saying how great they are, feeding their ego, that’s a sycophant.

Now we’ve cleared that up, why am I so bothered? Well, when someone posts a status update on Facebook you don’t expect to have a series of people all ‘thumbing up’ your status update and commenting on it, telling you how awesome you are, unless you have just said something truly wonderful.

For example, I had a few comments on my status update last week when I made a comment to the tune of how “the BNP think that indigenous to Britain means your family have lived here since the 1960’s, and I thought Creationists were stupid”.

Fair enough, that was quite funny and offensive to Creationists and racists. Worth a few comments.

However, when people post how they’ve just been to a barbeque, you don’t expect loads of thumbs up and cries of ‘way to go Don’… yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s our old friend Don Murphy, producer of Transformers.

Some years ago Don Murphy said he’d shut my website down over on his forum, and his sycophantic followers all cackled with delight at his wielding of his mighty powers. Of course nothing happened, Don did sod all, and he promptly banned me from his forum so that his imps didn’t know the truth of his inability to act.

Not content with clogging up his own forum with his mindless comments, followed by dozens of ‘way to go Dons’, he’s now on Facebook. This wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that every status update is followed by the same procession of mindless imbeciles all falling over themselves to pamper to his ego, no matter what he writes, as the screenshot shows.

This isn’t an isolated update either. It doesn’t matter how mundane or irrelevant his comments, they’re all treated the same way as his army of sycophantic followers pander to him as though he were Dionysus and he were about to open an evening’s entertainment at the theatre.

Too highbrow a metaphor? Yeah, probably, but I’m too angry to stop now.

People, you don’t have to sell your soul to pander to this moron. Just because he says he’s had a barbeque, or he’s got some new socks, or he’s going to the cinema, you don’t have to follow it up with ‘way to go Don’. He’s not going to reward you with a moment of his time, or become your best friend forever.

Get some self respect.

Share on Facebook

Share this page

It’s awesome, much better than the first film.

I also filmed the press conference and added the footage to YouTube in 5 separate videos, which you can watch here.

If you’ve seen the film, let me know what you think of it!

Share on Facebook

Share this page

A quick Google found this thread where it seems Callvalue don’t care about the TPS and insist on calling people regardless.

As you know I record all of my calls so will look forward to the next call from Callvalue, then we can have some real fun with them.

I have reported them to the TPS as well, despite not having all of their details. I’m sure the TPS are already aware of Callvalue.

Share on Facebook

Share this page

I was wrong, and Mars really needs to proof read its products more carefully.

A recent promotion on Revels asked people not to ‘loose hope’ when it came to the coffee flavour being replaced for a limited time only… except it wasn’t for a limited time only, it was for a ‘lmited time only’.

Not one, but two typos in one sentence. That’s pretty damn poor and the sort of errors you’d expect from a primary school kid rather than a major confectionery giant such as Mars.

Share on Facebook

Share this page

It was also full of beards, men who had worked all of their drinking lives on their guts, and backpacks. Just why do people insist on wearing backpacks? All that happens is they smack into others when they turn around.

Anyhow, we typically started with the high APV drinks like the Old Tom and worked our way down, though mercifully the Ring of Fire wasn’t on when we went on Thursday. Ironically, the Ring of Fire hadn’t settled!

Really must stop going on the opening night as most of the potent brews are still gestating.

It was a much calmer event this time. No thievery, no falling over and attempting to walk home (like I could have made that this time). Previous Stockport Beer Festivals have been more incident filled.

We did carry on our much coveted tip of selecting a pint glass and asking for a half pint as many of the ‘volunteer’ bar staff are blind as bats. Look at the ‘half measure’ in the photo for example, you’ll easily get an extra half pint during the evening.

Share on Facebook

Share this page

Hard luck chaps in losing 2-0 to Barca in the Champions League Final!

Share on Facebook

Share this page

You get the picture, I like Transformers.

Back in 2004 I wrote a two part story for a Transformers comic which was published by Metrodome and given away with their Transformers DVD boxsets. The comic was called ‘The Beast Within Part 1’ and ‘The Beast Within Part 2: Consequences’. I only wrote the script, it was illustrated by the amazingly talented Dylan Gibson, who has gone on to a good career as an illustrator.

The comic was met with mixed reviews (at best) with some Transformers fans and websites being very critical. This one cites the fact that it was published as an error… wankers.

Anyhow, this week I found two YouTube videos from a guy who reviews Transformers toys, reviewing the comics. Incredibly he’s actually quite impressed with the comics, as you can see in the two videos below where he talks you through the storyline and gives his opinion on them.

Just thought I’d share this, it’s nice to get positive reviews.

The Beast Within Part 1 Review

The Beast Within Part 2 Review

Share on Facebook

Share this page