Oh, for Christ's sake!

Oh boy, have a bunch of Catholics and Family first NZ got their collective knickers in a twist over this bill board.

In a country where in shops otherwise amply supplied with Christmas decorations it is near impossible to buy a Nativity set, the secretary managed to find just 2 after looking through 3 shopping centres and 2 malls, both missing shepherds.

You would think that they would be happy that this is causing so much comment while reminding the ignorant who Christ is.

To add to the irony that bill board was put up by and outside St Matthew's-in-the-City, a large Anglican church in central Auckland.

As for the Atheists and Agnostics - some people really do need to research some of "non-religious" Christmas customs that many of them hold dear.

I dear say some will lose their fondness of Santa Claus aka the fourth century Bishop of Myra, candy canes, decorated trees, wreaths etc as a result.

At long, bloody, last.

The subject of one of the most bitter planning rows in the 20-year history of North Shore City opens for business today.
But its decade in the making brings benefits to users of the new Birkenhead library and civic centre.

After 6 years (5 years longer than predicted) the library is back in the centre of Highbury and finally open.

Why the heck is a library still important or even necessary in the age of the internet? Particularly in a area where computer ownership and internet access is high?

... because when the old library closed, the foot traffic in the CBD fell and shopowners could not wait for us to come back to the centre," said Mr Chamberlain.
"Also, we have positioned our libraries to be the heart of the community - a focal point to meet and greet. It used to be the post office, but now that's gone there is hardly anywhere like that. People go to libraries for reasons not all to do with books."


That says it all.

Intruder Alert!

Now I knew that after the deaths of my former house mates, Minnie and Smudge, that eventually I would be presented with a small fuzzball for a "companion".

I didn't expect what arrived last weekend.

Given the problems I have had with the Fluff Monster next door and conversations I have over heard I was lead to believe that whatever newcomer arrived would be small and wouldn't have a tail as wide as my head.

I came inside on Saturday afternoon and came face to face with .... a pale grey and white thing as big as I am, somewhat heavier and a whole heap fluffier.

A Fluff Monster in other words, called Bobby of all things.

Worse still he talks.

A lot.

Possibly even more than I do which is saying something.

He has already failed to understand one basic point;

Sidekicks need to be able to be side kicked!

I wonder if he will get the message if I cannonball him?

Please enter username and password

reasonably safeguard your User Name and Password;
not allow someone to observe you entering your User Name and Password;
not disclose or allow your User Name or Password to become known to anyone else (including family or those in apparent authority such as the Police, or ####Financial Services staff);
not write them down, record or store them anywhere in written or electronic form, including in a file on your computer or in any password saving facility .
reasonably safeguard your User Name and Password;
choose a User Name and Password that are unique and not the same as or similar to User Names or Passwords used for any other services you may use, including non financial services.
If you believe for any reason that your User Name and/or Password could be known by someone else, or if you discover any unauthorised use of your User Name and/or Password has taken place, you must change your User Name and/or Password immediately, then call us ...

On the face of it all that sounds very reasonable - for a store credit card.

The problem is that near identical conditions apply for the power bill, the phone bill, the gas bill, internet banking, trademe, email, MSN, SMF, Pet forum, Knitter's forum, Blogger, online magazine subscriptions, job seeking websites, any big company who lists vacancies on their own websites, NZ Herald "have you say", the local library, photobucket, every single online shopping site... the list goes on.

Not all of them require both upper and lower case and not all of them require a number or two in the user name or the password. All of them however are very clear on one point. DO NOT WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD OR USER NAME.

That is all very fine and dandy but if you use different names and passwords as you are supposed to how the hell to you remember them all?
There are 18 in that list for a start.

Even doubling up and using the same password for several sites doesn't help when several sites helpfully allocate a user name for you. You still have to remember which password goes with what.

Then there is the joint account problem. Do you give your partner access to your online magazine subsciption? If it was a paper copy you would just pass it over or leave it on the coffee table.

How about internet banking for joint accounts, does your partner need their own log in?

What triggered this rant?

The Secretary needs to pay the phone bill. The account is in He Who Earns name and he set up the account. She can't remember the username or password because she didn't set them. He doesn't pay the bills so he can't remember them either. Better still she can't fix the matter via phone during office hours because it is his account and he is too busy working to hang around on hold to sort it out.

The death of Guy Fawkes night

Remember, remember, the fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot;

I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.

A stick and a stake for King James’ sake!

Holla, boys, Holla, make the town ring;

Holla, boys, Holla, boys, God save the King.

Is it the recession?

Is it the PC banning of rockets, double happies and the like?

Is it the injuries and out of control fires of Guy Fawkes past?

Is it the PC restrictions on the sale of fireworks and the idiots they are aimed at?

Is it all of the above or something else that is seeing the slow demise of the celebration of a failed 17th Century treason attempt?

Down here at the bottom of the world you could be forgiven for blaming the weather. Late spring, dry bush and fire are not a good mix after all. However this isn't just happening here but in the UK as well. Home of the very Parliament that Guy Fawkes tried to blow up.

I only know what stopped Guy Fawkes in my back yard.

The noise.

It is easy to put my rabbit friends in a room with the curtains drawn the and light on to cover up the flashes. Not so easy to muffle the screams and bangs. The screams and bangs get louder every year. They even bother me. Given that we hear mortar and gunfire from the range across the harbour about 1km away that is saying something.

If modern fireworks were quieter no doubt we would still buy a few to let off . They are rather pretty.

Last night I retired to the lounge with Cinnamon Bun, Mystery and Mr Biscuit confined to carriers and Inky hopping around trying to chase me, just as I have done in Guy Fawkes past.

Just as I will no doubt for the next couple of nights - until the neighbours run out of fire power.

If last night was anything to go by they will run out sooner than usual.

Driveways vs Kids

Yet another child is fatally skittled in a driveway by her father.

The very next day another is hit but survives.

Is a child worth less than the price of a fence beside your driveway and a gate at the bottom?

No matter how hard you try you can't watch a toddler every second of every day.

When a car is being backed up the drive is not a good time to discover that not only has the rug rat given you the slip and that when given a head start it can run faster than you as well.

How much do you value your child?

A fence is bound to be cheaper than a funeral.

Ok, who turned out the lights?

Some fork lift driver lifting a container near Otahuhu apparently.

That was all that was needed to knock out the power supply to not just a small part of Super Auckland but much of Waitakere and all of North Shore, Kaipara and Northland.

Not a huge deal given the time of day (8am to 10am) but it would have been if it lasted longer.

My secretary decided to weed the garden instead of using the powerless washing machine.

Subsequently I spent the time catching low flying buttercups and attempting to murder pansies (of the plant variety).

Still I have to wonder about the logic in supplying such a large area with just one power line and no power stations.

Does this sort of thing ever happen to Wellington?

Update: I stand corrected, there are two lines carrying electricity north. The other one was out for maintenance :S