Post keypad number-change stress syndrome

Finally, getting a grip

The keypad code on the office building door has been changed. Yes. Traumatic, eh? Well, actually, it was changed about a week ago. Maybe ten days ago. Between change day and now, I have taken this approach:

1. Key in the old number.
2. Fail to get through the door.
3. Realise.
4. Remember the new number.
5. Key in the new number.
6. Open the door.

That is until now, when I managed this:

1. Remember that the number's changed.
2. Remember the new number.
3. Key in the new number.
4. Gain entry.

I realise that I will, sooner or later, go back to repeating 1 to 6 above, and kicking myself.

Why Waste Your Time

Being a politician and wanting power are exactly why power-hungry politicians should be barred from office:

Publicly, they're all saying “11% payrise, moi? I'm not worth it in such austere times”.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (whoever they are)want to give them an 11% payrise to take them onto £74,000.00 a year. Publicly, they're saying that they won't accept the rise, or that they'll take it and give it to charity.

So, how come an anonymous survey found that on average they think they should be on £86,250.99 a year? 20% of them want £95k+.

The split is predictable: tories think they should be on £97,000; labour £77,000; libdems £78,000 and other parties £75,000.

So, in public they're going to give any rise to charity, in private they (on average) want £12,000 more than the rise they're (apparently) going to reject, and even the other parties lowest opinion is above the £74,000 that's (publicly) way too much.

I'm not really a political animal, so publicly and privately I would say the same thing: they love performance-related pay, give 'em some of it, with proper people setting the bar and deciding the outcome. For example, high profile education Tim Nice-But-Dim Gove, we're stagnating, mid-table, letting our kids down. Give him nowt and send him on his way. The badger-killer? A bonus payment of both barrels up the jacksie, and so on. I'm sure the wage bill could be reduced to almost nil on that basis. All the blah, and half the world still starves, the western fascination with burning petrol and dumping rubbish continues, and etc. Nothing changes. I'd not pay them 74p a year, collectively, until they demonstrated some ability at making things better. But then, they're elected, and therefore seek power, and therefore are good at politics, and not at making things better.