TiCTH laryngitis, which is preventing me from not only my usual singing commitments, but also a very special Come and Sing I had booked in for tomorrow.
Whispering is banned. Very bad for the vocal cords.
At least I am not still teaching. I became very creative with sign language. I also found many ways and means of getting the pupils to do more talking, of the right sort, I mean. Fortunately they were very co-operative.
Just heard that I cannot have a refund for the Come and Sing I am now unable to attend through illness.
The cut off date for cancellations was 6 January. I actually did not pay until the 7 th!
I am sure I could take this further, as the organisation has made pure profit of £25 out of me. But I probably won’t.
Oh there are several round here, most being fully booked in advance. This one is run by a small chamber choir, with settings of O Magnum Mysterium by various composers. They would not thank me for sharing my germs and my coughing and croaky voice (which I am trying to preserve not destroy)
Are they including the setting by Peter Maxwell Davies? We did it when I was in school, and I ended up with a solo because the girl who was supposed to do it lost her voice.
Blephiritis. Two types of antibiotic eye drops, diluted baby shampoo very carefully applied to eyelid, all failed to eliminate it this time around. It's better but still hanging around.
Piglet, I am not sure about Peter Maxwell Davies. Definitely Victoria, Palestrina, Poulenc, Lauridsen. Am so sore about missing it today. Throat is starting to ease but it would be foolish to attempt it.
It might be a bit "niche" for a Come and Sing, right enough! It's actually a sequence of pieces, some choral, some instrumental, that he wrote for Cirencester Grammar School, and we did it in Orkney in about 1976.
He was very good at writing for whatever forces he had: apparently the French horn player in Cirencester had only just started to play, and only knew two notes, so the French horn part only has two notes!
Blephiritis. Two types of antibiotic eye drops, diluted baby shampoo very carefully applied to eyelid, all failed to eliminate it this time around. It's better but still hanging around.
{{{hugs}}} I'm sorry you're having to deal with that.
Having done my daily read of Facebook, (The ship and it are deliberately logged in on different machines), my online worlds have rather collided, as I think a friend was at that event Puzzler!
Blephiritis. Two types of antibiotic eye drops, diluted baby shampoo very carefully applied to eyelid, all failed to eliminate it this time around. It's better but still hanging around.
{{{hugs}}} I'm sorry you're having to deal with that.
Thank you! After another week of diligent, accompanied by many sighs of frustration, three-times daily pursuing the diluted baby shampoo treatment, I think it has nearly gone … ...
Washer is leaking, and I am guessing by it's age it will be a replace not a repair, dog is due for yearly vet visit, as is her new county tags, car is due for service, light came on this morning, taxes on house due this month, need to pay to have trees trimmed, and because of cold our heating bill is high this month. Nothing bad in themselves but budget would really be helped if they were not all due this month. Oh yes, and I need a haircut. That we can put off for a bit.
We moved house right at the beginning of January, so the very first thing we have to do after the New Year celebrations every year is to renew our home insurance.
At least the other bills give us a chance to realise what year it is
TICTH telephone scammers. I've had three calls in the last two days on my mobile claiming to be from the Justice Department, inferring that I've committed a crime, and that if I don't press 1 to speak to an "officer", I will be committing a crime.
It happened twice today while the movers were in, and when I did press 1 the bloke at the other end asked me my name. Well, if he doesn't know who I am, how can he know I've committed a crime? I put the phone down, and asked the removal men if they had come across the same thing, and they had, which made me feel much better.
Next time they phone, the second word will be "off".
Likewise I will consign TH my mail order pharmacy, who call me every freaking month to discuss some bullshit about the latest refill that could have been handled perfectly well via email, text or paper--or simply neglected altogether (see: recent attempt to get me to order unnecessary refills). But this time I am consigning them for being idiots enough to call me and demand my birthdate "to be sure we are speaking to the right person." Erm, no. YOU called ME. I'm not giving out sensitive info to random strangers who call me out of the blue. Since they refuse to tell me why they are calling (dudes, you have my phone number; surely that should clue you in as to who I am?), we are left at an impasse. Unless I wish to hunt up the main number, navigate the whole freaking phone tree, and finally reach a person who will tell me, "I have no idea why we were calling you." FFS! (And yes, this just happened.)
Oh, and when you're caught in a phone tree, sometimes saying "Agent" or "Operator" clearly and repeatedly will get you to a live person.
Also: if you want to find out about a phone number, just type it into a search engine. IME, you don't need to put it into a specific format. There are many sites where people report calls that may be spam, or hang-up calls, or whatever. When you search on a phone number, you may get hits from these sites. Then you can see if anyone else has had trouble, possibly add your experience anonymously, etc.
I had two scam phone calls this morning. One on my mobile saying I had some tax infringement being investigated, and one on my landline saying that 'they' had been trying to get hold of me.
As both were recorded messages, I just cut them off. I always do.
I assume that 'they' of the landline were totally different to the tax fraud scammers, but I didn't listen long enough to find out.
I've used some of those sites to get a human, and also punching "O" or saying "Operator." Sometimes that works. Now if only I could find the trick for reaching a human who 1) can speak and understand English, and 2) knows about the subject with which they're supposed to be helping you.
My usual as of late is a call from "Officer Somebody," from the Social
Security office telling me my number has been stolen by someone in Texas. Press one to speak to Officer somebody else. Bet if I pressed one Officer somebody else would want my SS number. I do not believe SS calls you, and as far as I know they do not have officers. So annoying.
I get the its about the car accident calls. If I have time I let them deliver the spiel about compensation, etc, before answering the "few questions", starting with the date of the supposed RTA which I give as sometime in 1988, at which point they end the call.
The idiot who parked in Little Beaky's disabled parking bay causing his poor mother unnecessary stress and hassle and who tried to joke his way out of it. She needed it like a hole in the head ☹😬
I get the its about the car accident calls. If I have time I let them deliver the spiel about compensation, etc, before answering the "few questions", starting with the date of the supposed RTA which I give as sometime in 1988, at which point they end the call.
A few years ago, I had two accidents within a couple of months - neither my fault. When I had a call like that, I’d ask “which one?”, and not give details of either.
Apart from the potential of people who might be ripped off, there are two things that worry me about these calls.
1. Sufficient numbers of people must fall for them to make them worthwhile to the scammers. That's frightening.
2. Does "Kevin" in Bangalore making the call - who may well have a degree but needs the job - realise that he is taking part in a scam? Or is the wool being pulled over his eyes, too?
Now that Mr S works at the Citizens Advice Bureau, I have a new line for dealing with the car accident scammers.
'I work for the CAB, and it sounds as if you are inciting me to commit fraud, which is a criminal offence. If you could just tell me the name of the company you're working for, so I can report you to the police....'
A line I am saving up to use on a scammer sometime: 'Does your mother know you're a criminal?'
I couple of years ago I was approached by a young-ish man in an Edinburgh shopping centre, who asked me, "Excuse me, can you tell me what is your facial care routine?"
I fixed him with a basilisk eye (or that was the effect I was aiming at!) and replied "Is your mother proud that her son asks women such personal questions?"
End of interview.
There was a young man lurking around the local WH Smiths some time ago - I don't remember what he was asking questions about, but he blithely expected me to tell him all about my energy bills or whatever it was. I said: "Why should I share my personal details with some random bloke?" and walked off.
random marketing type bod outside supermarket : "Hi, do you mind telling me who your broadband provider is ?"
person in front of me "I'm not really sure, we steal next door's WiFi signal"
You feisty ladies can get away with the basilisk stare etc., but Old Chaps such as I can't 'relate' to young men in quite the same way.
Any suggestions as to how an Old Chap could respond in a suitably passive-aggressive manner? I can do Icy Sarcasm quite well - I inherited those genes from my Ma... ...but TIACW.
I did repel a double-glazing salesman's cold call by pointing out (in Dutch) that he was phoning a ship, and asking (in heavily-accented English) just where did he think he was going to put a conservatory?
of me really, as my landline number would give no indication as to what sort of property it was serving!
Someone phoned me up, offering "security advice" and asked me if I had valuables in my house! I said yes, I had amassed a large collection of books on my PhD topic, and enthused about said PhD topic. I said that if I assumed each book was worth £5, my library would be worth several thousand. Apparently, books on Scottish Victorian educational policy weren't the sort of valuables he was wanting to give advice about. He asked if my husband had any valuables in the house. Turns out books about my husband's PhD topic (pure mathematics) weren't what he was asking about, either.
I read random titles from my bookcase, saying "this one must be worth at least a tenner!" until he gave up.
Comments
At least I am not still teaching. I became very creative with sign language. I also found many ways and means of getting the pupils to do more talking, of the right sort, I mean. Fortunately they were very co-operative.
The cut off date for cancellations was 6 January. I actually did not pay until the 7 th!
I am sure I could take this further, as the organisation has made pure profit of £25 out of me. But I probably won’t.
@The Intrepid Mrs S - poor you!
They've got your money - why shouldn't you go and make a Joyful Noise Unto The Lord, anyway?
What could they do? Haul you away to Jug? I think not...
He was very good at writing for whatever forces he had: apparently the French horn player in Cirencester had only just started to play, and only knew two notes, so the French horn part only has two notes!
{{{hugs}}} I'm sorry you're having to deal with that.
I know we didn't get a quarter of what Newfoundland had to deal with, but it's still a total pain in the arse.
At least the other bills give us a chance to realise what year it is
It happened twice today while the movers were in, and when I did press 1 the bloke at the other end asked me my name. Well, if he doesn't know who I am, how can he know I've committed a crime? I put the phone down, and asked the removal men if they had come across the same thing, and they had, which made me feel much better.
Next time they phone, the second word will be "off".
GetHuman
ContactHelp
"15 Genius Tricks for Reaching a Customer Service Rep Way Faster: Never waste your day listening to hold music again." (BestLife)
Oh, and when you're caught in a phone tree, sometimes saying "Agent" or "Operator" clearly and repeatedly will get you to a live person.
Also: if you want to find out about a phone number, just type it into a search engine. IME, you don't need to put it into a specific format. There are many sites where people report calls that may be spam, or hang-up calls, or whatever. When you search on a phone number, you may get hits from these sites. Then you can see if anyone else has had trouble, possibly add your experience anonymously, etc.
Good luck!
As both were recorded messages, I just cut them off. I always do.
I assume that 'they' of the landline were totally different to the tax fraud scammers, but I didn't listen long enough to find out.
Security office telling me my number has been stolen by someone in Texas. Press one to speak to Officer somebody else. Bet if I pressed one Officer somebody else would want my SS number. I do not believe SS calls you, and as far as I know they do not have officers. So annoying.
1. Sufficient numbers of people must fall for them to make them worthwhile to the scammers. That's frightening.
2. Does "Kevin" in Bangalore making the call - who may well have a degree but needs the job - realise that he is taking part in a scam? Or is the wool being pulled over his eyes, too?
You could form a double act.
'I work for the CAB, and it sounds as if you are inciting me to commit fraud, which is a criminal offence. If you could just tell me the name of the company you're working for, so I can report you to the police....'
Works a treat!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ttrzG5F4R3o
I couple of years ago I was approached by a young-ish man in an Edinburgh shopping centre, who asked me, "Excuse me, can you tell me what is your facial care routine?"
I fixed him with a basilisk eye (or that was the effect I was aiming at!) and replied "Is your mother proud that her son asks women such personal questions?"
End of interview.
person in front of me "I'm not really sure, we steal next door's WiFi signal"
Any suggestions as to how an Old Chap could respond in a suitably passive-aggressive manner? I can do Icy Sarcasm quite well - I inherited those genes from my Ma...
I read random titles from my bookcase, saying "this one must be worth at least a tenner!" until he gave up.