Switch On The Laminator Punk... Make My Day....

Incredulously the faffing about with paper work continues... I seriously wonder if this is a sign of the economic times... In times of plenty they don't check papers, they don't cross all the t's or dot all the lower case j's, no they just throw caution to the wind and that leads to the economic bust and decline we're in now.

But once we're in the decline, once a business is under a bit of pressure, once the redundancy stick has been around a couple of times then they start to get really festidious with their rules and regulations...

What am I talking about?... The car... Yes, the car... Now I work in Nottingham City Center, this means to park at work I have to pay Nottingham City Councils invasion of my rights and access charge to park at work... This ludicrous tax which should have seen the money grubbing bastards ousted from power, but which has gone into action at our place of work with nary a damp squib of complaint; save from me, whom has moaned to my none-car-driving boss a half dozen times.

Aaaaanyway, the new car, I want to add it to my permit, we've been told not to muck about with our permits, so I've been to reception to ask how to go about adding a new car to my permit... They are the nice ladies whom have to print it out, so I thought I'd ask... One of them was very helpful, the other... well its either full moon, or she's the moodiest bitch ever, how she can be working on a reception is beyond me snarling at people like that... Its a simple task give them my name, confirm the current car on there and give them the new reg number... One lass it taking this info and being very nice to me, the other... very bullish and very annoying.

Now, I wouldn't mind, they were doing me a favour, but they were sort of looking and talking to me like I'm a fool... I didn't know either of them, they're new, new in the sense that they've been here 6 months... I've worked here 10 years... I know the ins and outs of the place, I know if I don't ask and get this done then there's going to be hell to pay, so I come and I ask, nicely... And you get this attitude...

What else are you being paid for love?... You've got a desk and a chair and you answer the phone and try to be nice to people, clearly the nice thing is out the window right now, so at least sit in your chair and help.

The most comic moment was when she picked up the phone, and as if as part of a mission impossible scene she asks the person at the other end, "switch on the laminator"...

New Car

We've been out today to finalise the last bits and pieces for buying a new car, we've wanted a larger car for a while, and it was just getting the right car for the job.  We've gone with an MPV and its going to become my main run around, and after 11 years my old, annoying but trusty, Peugeot 206 is going to become the second car in the family.

There's no big deal with this, I get to have a bigger car to jolly around in, and the wife (when she's driving again) will get to jolly around in my old 206.

But, we've been doing all the legals, and sorting everything... Insurance, Tax, DVLA V05, deposits, proof of identity final payments and the like...

I had to take 6 different forms of identification, I had to show bills, statements, passports, all sorts of stuff... I was sat there with the guy photocopying enough of my personal information to make one feel rather sick, when it struck me that... "I've just given this lot more ID for a car, than I did for my mortgage"... "I've just given this guy more ID, more proof, than I did to get married"... And it struck me has half bizarre and half retarded.

The number of people I know (and I can name two right now) who drive around drunk, without insurance or even without a license at all and there's me, a law abiding, insurance paying, tax providing citizen and I'm being grilled!  It all was very very annoying.

I'll fill you all in on whom I purchased the car from, and how it runs, in a later post... Suffice to say, I take delivery on Wednesday, and I'll let you all know.