Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Lost in Paper/Paper Lost

I JUST SPOKE TO ONE OF MY CREDITORS. They wanted proof of my income. Which involves sending in an "award letter". The letter I do have, which states how much I was paid in the last year, although it's from the same government department (it was issued for tax purposes) is somehow unacceptable. "Can't they divide it by 52 and work it out themselves?" I asked. Seemingly not. So now I've got to contact Jobcentre Plus or the Benefits Agency or the Department of Work and Pensions ~ don't ask me which one, they all seem to operate in tandem. I suspect Jobcentre Plus is the building you go to, the Department of Work and Pensions is the one that handles people's claims and the Benefit Agency actually pays people. So now I've to trek up the library and feed more money into a nongeographic phone number* (I hate them!) I'm in arrears (as per usual) which I can't really pay off. I didn't tell the guy I'd been living on the internet and on the floor for much of the time I could have been sorting this out. (I don't believe the papers they're demanding were ever sent to me. Or at least not received.) Oh well. I'm having another drink now and I'm going up the library. Sometimes you have to get off the floor and get on with your life. I turned back here just now to input this because I was just walking past my house to get to the library when my landlord's van came rumbling down the road. His face makes me want to be sick. I avoid thoughts of personal violence in case they escalate to murder. So rather than stabbing him or puking I tapped in this.

Healthy catharsis. Ha-ha!!

*Nongeographic numbers are one of the curses of the age.
They cost everyone more money. Mobiles they charge typically 35p a minute instead of 5p, callboxes something like 10p a minute instead of 40p for 20 minutes, normal home phones something like 7p a minute instead of 1p. I'm so glad there's an orchestrated campaign against them. They stink. But nobody's going to do anything about them because (this is the big no-one tells you) companies and organizations can actually make a small income from using these numbers. Yes. BT and the number holder split the difference between the normal phone rates and the ones I just told you. And as I said, I think it stinks.

34 comments:

  1. god that is really annoying about the whole creditor thing... i'm sorry

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  2. Paper is always annoying...

    I hate papers... specially when the aper is a test... yuck


    but only the things in paper know how to be nonsense-like enough so yuo can eve worry about it... emmm I'm confused but... today's world works on paper... so we have to get use to it in order tolive in this world....

    it sucks...

    anyway..

    I've been away from internet too logn it seems..

    see you!

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  3. I agree with you Kao.

    Have a look at this, Vatican 10 Commandments of Driving..!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6768395.stm

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  4. oh man damn goverment offices eh?!

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  5. yeah and damn the ******g nongeographic phone numbers; don't u get them in Canada too?

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  6. yes yes we do get those numbers...i tend to not answer!

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  7. ... I was going to say I see what you mean but on reflection I don't ... those are ones that big business use and government deparments. they're not the megacharging 09 numbers (50p a minute or more...) they just cost about 5 times or more what a call should cost on a reasonable saver package ...

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  8. ... but they don't call you; you call THEM~~that's what I'm complaining about!!

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  9. Bureaucracy, either by paper or phone, is a pain in the posterior!

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  10. "Nongeographic numbers are one of the curses of the age. They cost everyone more money." <----- TRUE!
    Ya know, recently i was at another city here, a historical landmark with museums etc. Good that we had our student cards & what not... CUZ if we didnt... evrything would cost us twices much, that's one thing... BUT sometimes even more THAN twice. It made me sad a bit... cuz NOT actually everyone is filthy rich... & i dont know if i would be able to visit some of those for full prise! that's just over my budget!

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  11. Sounds like you're not having the best day either. Vincent and I have been trying to paint some of our apartment and it's really difficult to work after work. We've cleaned out the small room tonight and patched the walls and I'll sand a few things tomorrow evening and I plan on painting Friday. I also have some paperwork type stuff to sort out that I'm not looking forward to.

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  12. dear you,

    i don't think you beleived me when i mentioned my cat is 23lbs, so to really show you i took a pic with me holding him, you get the idea of how fucking lard ass he is.
    it's n my blog, pretty recent post.

    i almost throw my back out everytime i lift him, which i have to do when he is too lazy to jump into the bathtub (his hang out) or onto my bed where he sleeps

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  13. It sounds like you are trapped in a Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmare...good luck!!

    (I have to admit some of those Vatican Ten Commandments for Driving are pretty good. Can you go to a priest for "driving confession"? Like when you cut a guy off, and you want to repent? Wouldn't that be cool? Do you have to say three "Hail Earnhardts" at driving confession?)

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  14. We don't have nongeographic numbers in BC, Canada. We do have lots of different phone companies from across the continent constantly calling us over their competitors' lines in order to get our money. But money rules us all. We need it and that really sticks in my craw. Can'trmember the last time wages went up and cost of living went down.

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  15. Sorry about your troubles Gledwood. Red tape is so much fun eh? I hope something really nice happens for you soon XOXO

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  16. Gledwood

    Hope you are not too stressed by the money stuff going on. I just wonder what it was that got you on the drugs? You have got so much about you that the drug thing is sad. I hope you decide to get clean and have more adventures abroad. You come across so well on your blog!

    all the best
    sadgirl x

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  17. Akelamalu : ur damn right!

    Edyta: but I though Lithuania was a relatively cheap place ... all things are relative I spose ...

    Nicole: papers..! You have my sympathy. Best of luck with the painting

    Katarina: yeah I thought I'd seen the cat... hang on let me check ...

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  18. Zen Wizard: yes it's just like Franz bloody Kafka you're right

    Get off My Lawn: no dreaded nongeographic numbers?? How lucky you are!!

    Mellowlee: I wish they'd tie up the beaurocrats in their own red tape... like a scene from 9-5 with Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda !!

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  19. Sadgirl: how did I get onto drugs is a long story... fuelled by foolish experimentation, suicidal impulses, not caring, wanting to be different and rebellion against my peers ... etc etc!

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  20. memo to self:

    recommended interview of the day:

    http://gledwoodceleb.blogspot.com/2007/06/ali-g-interviews-david-victoria-posh.html

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  21. Gledwood, do you know what really stinks?
    My camel...

    ranzigebunzing.blogspot.com

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  22. The Internal Revenue Service just sent me a note as well...Idiots...I'm going to ignore them for a bit longer.

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  23. Thanks for looking at my postcards. Until I set up my business I was unemployed in France and we have lots of forms to fill in send backwards and forwards. Fortunately a lot can be done online - if you have internet. The thing that used to get me has the different closing days. Two bus rides across town only to find the place closed every first Thursday morning of the month or something.

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  24. 9 to 5!! Now there's a flick I haven't seen in forever! Maybeeee I will go rent it this weekend...or not lol! Take care of you xoxo

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  25. So many papers...so complicated...
    wish you courage!!!
    and a very happy Solstice day, though it's pouring with rain here...
    love from Mousie

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  26. i just decided something...i don't believe you when u say u don't know how to upload a photo to your profile when you know how to link everything at the side and create widgets etc. hehehe. :p

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  27. The very mention of paper and benefits agencies, systems and red tape brings me out in a cold sweat and they are just the memories of having to deal with them..

    Its incredible just how much our use of paper has increased, I found it especially noticable after I had started using the internet, the amount of junk mail I get is obscene

    Keep strong, bit by bit you will get there.

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  28. Ranzige Bunzing: ~~ o! waah~waaaah!!

    Tom: send them a parcel of diarrhoea from me!

    Anji: yeah those ridiculous periodic early closing days get me as well. I remember as a child all the shops in our main shopping area used to close early on Thursdays or something. It was supposed to make up for the staff's having to work Saturdays (this was long b4 Sunday trading hit Britain ...)

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  29. Mellowlee: the last flick my parents went to view while they were still married. My Dad had a real thing about Dolly Parton

    Mousie: excellent to hear from you, hope all is well in Plumpiemousie ..?

    Naomi: what you say is plausible, but just bear in mind that I've no computer of my own, no digital camera that works and hence have no need to LEARN those things ...

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  30. Audrey: about paper you're dead right ... remember those overflowing bins next to printers in all offices/colleges/etc ...

    thanxx for the words of support

    !

    g

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  31. Okay, sorry, I'm from the U.S. Can someone fill the silly Yankee in on what these "nongeographic numbers" are?

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  32. Hi Gledwood

    Perhaps doing a post about your path into drugs could educate other people. perhaps writing it down will help you to come to know yourself better.

    all the best
    sadgirl x

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