Clare_Bear's smiley happy thread

Phil_aka_Pip

boogieman said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Trying to sort stuff out in the lounge and in the music room. Assembled the Quad 33/FM3/303 for the first time in yonks and hooked it up to the B&W DM4s. Yep, old stuff. but hey, the sound of it was magic

An old workmate of mine that I keep in touch with has some Quad stuff in his loft. It sounds like he has the electrostatic speakers too (he says he thinks they looked like radiators). I keep offering to buy it all off him but he always fobs me off, saying it's too much hassle to get up there and find it. 

Make him an offer he can't refuse

That gear is probably worth a fair bit, and with good reason. It's a shame that stuff like that should languish in a loft unused. It would probably survive better if it was in regular use, but if it has been unused for a long time should probably be powered up gently on a Variac to prevent electrolytic caps going bang.

Phil_aka_Pip

Seems like I've won an argument with a pension company. Many years ago an employer set up a scheme into which both they and I paid (substantial amounts of money). Then the company found it necessary to let a lot of its people go and I was one of them. Fast forward several years over 3 changes of address and a Big Birthday, so I thought I'd approach the ex-employer and enquire about said pension plan. They were very helpful, identifying the pension company, the employer's scheme reference and my personal scheme reference. I contacted said pension company quoting all this information, they told me that I had to supply them with a signed handwritten letter containing the pension plan numbers and my current address, "certified copies" of government-issued documents sent to me at my home address within the last 3 months,  plus certified copies of a driving licence or passport. I enquired about the latter two, because I don't have a passport and haven't seen my driving licence in yonks, so they told me in an email (which I kept) that they would accept a "certified copy" of my birth certificate in lieu of the passport or driving licence. BTW "certified copy" apparently means your local postmaster photocopies the document, puts the post office round rubber stamp on it, then signs and dates it in ink, by hand. So, I send up the required paperwork, and wait. 3 weeks later I get an email from a "Customer Service Advisor" (with a different name to the first chap that replied) telling me my documents were not acceptable and that they insisted on the photographic IDs. So I replied quoting in full the first email which told me they would accept the birth certificate, and reminding them that photographic ID was useless to them as they had no idea what I look like.

Today I received a hardcopy letter confirming that they had recorded my new address.

Result

Nitefly

@Phil_aka_Pip just wait until you try to claim the actual pension...

Phil_aka_Pip

Nitefly said:

@Phil_aka_Pip just wait until you try to claim the actual pension...

I'll probably have to go to their office with a sawn-off shotgun just to get any kind of response out of the bastards  even though it's MY fucking money ('scuse my French)

Bucket

Just got tickets to see SikTh in December. My favourite metal band. Never managed to see them before - I even had tickets once but had to sell them and miss the event. This time I am determined that nothing will get in my way.

boogieman

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Seems like I've won an argument with a pension company. Many years ago an employer set up a scheme into which both they and I paid (substantial amounts of money). Then the company found it necessary to let a lot of its people go and I was one of them. Fast forward several years over 3 changes of address and a Big Birthday, so I thought I'd approach the ex-employer and enquire about said pension plan. They were very helpful, identifying the pension company, the employer's scheme reference and my personal scheme reference. I contacted said pension company quoting all this information, they told me that I had to supply them with a signed handwritten letter containing the pension plan numbers and my current address, "certified copies" of government-issued documents sent to me at my home address within the last 3 months,  plus certified copies of a driving licence or passport. I enquired about the latter two, because I don't have a passport and haven't seen my driving licence in yonks, so they told me in an email (which I kept) that they would accept a "certified copy" of my birth certificate in lieu of the passport or driving licence. BTW "certified copy" apparently means your local postmaster photocopies the document, puts the post office round rubber stamp on it, then signs and dates it in ink, by hand. So, I send up the required paperwork, and wait. 3 weeks later I get an email from a "Customer Service Advisor" (with a different name to the first chap that replied) telling me my documents were not acceptable and that they insisted on the photographic IDs. So I replied quoting in full the first email which told me they would accept the birth certificate, and reminding them that photographic ID was useless to them as they had no idea what I look like.

Today I received a hardcopy letter confirming that they had recorded my new address.

Result

Have a wow. Firstly for getting any sort of response out of a pension company that owes you money. And secondly for the fact they gave in to a logical argument! 

boogieman

Bucket said:

Just got tickets to see SikTh in December. My favourite metal band. Never managed to see them before - I even had tickets once but had to sell them and miss the event. This time I am determined that nothing will get in my way.

I've never "got" Sikth. I saw them supporting someone years ago (no idea who now) and it was the most intense, technically difficult but unlistenable music I think I've ever heard, and I actually quite like music that most people think is unlistenable. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. 

Rocker

Mrs Rocker and myself watched a few episodes of Jeeves and Wooster on DVD recently. Really good stuff, funny without any shut. Great acting and camera angles.

Bucket

boogieman said:

Bucket said:

Just got tickets to see SikTh in December. My favourite metal band. Never managed to see them before - I even had tickets once but had to sell them and miss the event. This time I am determined that nothing will get in my way.

I've never "got" Sikth. I saw them supporting someone years ago (no idea who now) and it was the most intense, technically difficult but unlistenable music I think I've ever heard, and I actually quite like music that most people think is unlistenable. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. 

@boogieman Took me a long time as well. Probably because I started with the first album, which is their weirdest, trippiest and probably most intense effort - I couldn't hack it. The second album was what really got me hooked, and eventually I got all their other stuff - now I love the first album. Their cover of the old Nick Cave track "Tupelo" makes every hair stand on end.

I think it was hearing this that was an epiphany for me actually - they do have a sense of melody and so on, just a very unconventional one a lot of the time. This is quite an accessible one for someone who's new to their music, but still chucks in loads of their signature sound. And that main riff is jaw-breakingly awesome. As I'm sure you could tell, their stuff is incredibly difficult to play.

boogieman

Bucket said:

boogieman said:

Bucket said:

Just got tickets to see SikTh in December. My favourite metal band. Never managed to see them before - I even had tickets once but had to sell them and miss the event. This time I am determined that nothing will get in my way.

I've never "got" Sikth. I saw them supporting someone years ago (no idea who now) and it was the most intense, technically difficult but unlistenable music I think I've ever heard, and I actually quite like music that most people think is unlistenable. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. 

@boogieman Took me a long time as well. Probably because I started with the first album, which is their weirdest, trippiest and probably most intense effort - I couldn't hack it. The second album was what really got me hooked, and eventually I got all their other stuff - now I love the first album. Their cover of the old Nick Cave track "Tupelo" makes every hair stand on end.

I think it was hearing this that was an epiphany for me actually - they do have a sense of melody and so on, just a very unconventional one a lot of the time. This is quite an accessible one for someone who's new to their music, but still chucks in loads of their signature sound. And that main riff is jaw-breakingly awesome. As I'm sure you could tell, their stuff is incredibly difficult to play.

Cheers, I'll have a listen. 

Chalky

Wife lost her purse in our town when it disappeared from the zipped sidepocket of her backpack (necessary when out walking our autistic kids). Not sure whether it had been nicked or just forgot to zip the pocket and had fallen out.  Could have been lost anytime over a couple of hours yesterday while in town.

Checked the police station, and lo and behold a chap had handed it in.  All the cash and everything still in it.  Nice to live in a nice place with nice people.

Phil_aka_Pip

had an argument with the kerb in my car recently and lost, fortunately only the tyre was trashed and the wheel survived. collected said wheel from local garage on way to work this morning and the chap jacked up my car and fitted it for me in less than half the time it would take me to do it using my own tools

contacted Bower & Wilkins who are UK distributors for Rotel, found out that they could sell me a remote control for the RDV1050E that I bought recently from a workmate, they said it would be delivered "tomorrow"

jellyroll

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Seems like I've won an argument with a pension company. Many years ago an employer set up a scheme into which both they and I paid (substantial amounts of money). Then the company found it necessary to let a lot of its people go and I was one of them. Fast forward several years over 3 changes of address and a Big Birthday, so I thought I'd approach the ex-employer and enquire about said pension plan. They were very helpful, identifying the pension company, the employer's scheme reference and my personal scheme reference. I contacted said pension company quoting all this information, they told me that I had to supply them with a signed handwritten letter containing the pension plan numbers and my current address, "certified copies" of government-issued documents sent to me at my home address within the last 3 months,  plus certified copies of a driving licence or passport. I enquired about the latter two, because I don't have a passport and haven't seen my driving licence in yonks, so they told me in an email (which I kept) that they would accept a "certified copy" of my birth certificate in lieu of the passport or driving licence. BTW "certified copy" apparently means your local postmaster photocopies the document, puts the post office round rubber stamp on it, then signs and dates it in ink, by hand. So, I send up the required paperwork, and wait. 3 weeks later I get an email from a "Customer Service Advisor" (with a different name to the first chap that replied) telling me my documents were not acceptable and that they insisted on the photographic IDs. So I replied quoting in full the first email which told me they would accept the birth certificate, and reminding them that photographic ID was useless to them as they had no idea what I look like.

Today I received a hardcopy letter confirming that they had recorded my new address.

Result

Strange....I have moved about 6 times and have vaguely thought that one day I need to do what you've done and start tracing pensions. But without me lifting a finger, the pensions companies seem to have "found" me and started sending me statements, etc

Jimbro66

Bucket said:

boogieman said:

Bucket said:

Just got tickets to see SikTh in December. My favourite metal band. Never managed to see them before - I even had tickets once but had to sell them and miss the event. This time I am determined that nothing will get in my way.

I've never "got" Sikth. I saw them supporting someone years ago (no idea who now) and it was the most intense, technically difficult but unlistenable music I think I've ever heard, and I actually quite like music that most people think is unlistenable. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. 

@boogieman Took me a long time as well. Probably because I started with the first album, which is their weirdest, trippiest and probably most intense effort - I couldn't hack it. The second album was what really got me hooked, and eventually I got all their other stuff - now I love the first album. Their cover of the old Nick Cave track "Tupelo" makes every hair stand on end.

I think it was hearing this that was an epiphany for me actually - they do have a sense of melody and so on, just a very unconventional one a lot of the time. This is quite an accessible one for someone who's new to their music, but still chucks in loads of their signature sound. And that main riff is jaw-breakingly awesome. As I'm sure you could tell, their stuff is incredibly difficult to play.

I really like that track @Bucket. Maybe that's one of their more accessible tracks but it's made me want to find out more about them.

Hearing that track also made me think of my mate's old band Everything Burns and their album Home. Definitely similarities.

tampaxboo

three boiled eggs for breakfast. something about eggs always cheers me up. happy food.

Phil_aka_Pip

tampaxboo said:

three boiled eggs for breakfast. something about eggs always cheers me up. happy food.

bacon & baked beans does similar for me. likewise fried egg butties

quarky

I checked my (meagre) shares yesterday and was really pleased with the increase this year (I really don't think I can take much credit for it though). I have a geeky spreadsheet from where I started a few years ago, until when I expect to retire, and I am about five years ahead of schedule. It isn't a money thing as such (it could equally plummet next year) and I am under no illusions that having more money would make me happier, but I guess from more of a "competing against myself thing" I am pretty happy. 

So I made *two* bacon sandwiches for lunch

Phil_aka_Pip

The Bowers & Wilkins people were as good as their word. My remote control has just arrived

Deadman

Met Keith Allen last night and did a rendition of Hotel Bastardos "Everybody happy la la la la laaa" with him. Lovely bloke.

tampaxboo

quarky said:

I checked my (meagre) shares yesterday and was really pleased with the increase this year (I really don't think I can take much credit for it though). I have a geeky spreadsheet from where I started a few years ago, until when I expect to retire, and I am about five years ahead of schedule. It isn't a money thing as such (it could equally plummet next year) and I am under no illusions that having more money would make me happier, but I guess from more of a "competing against myself thing" I am pretty happy. 

So I made *two* bacon sandwiches for lunch

i'm weirdly conflicted about shares.

on one hand i'm a lefty so have a kind of basic objection to capital speculation that invariably diverts money from those who have nots to those who already have more than they need.

and i also don't think i have the mentality to do it as ruthlessly as you need to to make meaningful money. you know people who read newspapers about an earthquake and immediately think i'll buy shares in a local shovel company? that isn't me somehow.

but being autistic i do have a morbid fascination in the sheear game science of it, the 'chessiness' of it.
how different sectors of the economy can interact and how you can anticipate and react to it independently, either against or in sympathy with trends. that's interesting, regardless of moral and political implications.

i'm also fascinated (autistics are fascinated with a lot of weird things, we have very busy heads) in the jim slater jimmy goldsmith goings-on in the sixties, they started that asset stripping thing that probably did more to shape british postwar society than anything, other than the creation of the welfare state. kind of the ying to the yang.

how did you learn to do it? from books or sites? or is it something you used to work with?