Credit Catastrophe #dreamdiary 194

I’ve just processed a credit application at work. It’s all gone a bit wrong. I’ve put the sale through without taking any of the customer’s details and I haven’t printed off any of the paperwork either. I’ve just cashed the sale out and the customer has just walked away. They are now expecting the goods to be delivered and they haven’t made any arrangements to pay for them. My boss is expecting the store to be one step closer to completing our weekly target and will be looking for the paperwork for it at the end of the week. And I’m wondering if the customer was a test and that I haven’t answered the questions correctly for an audit. I can reverse the sale and tell my boss that it was a home delivery rather than an application. But I’m still left with a feeling of dread that these questions will come back to haunt me.

Winding Tracks #dreamdiary 193

I’m off on the mountain trail. I’m setting off to reach Black Tor, a national footpath which takes me to a peak then down into a town where I can catch a train back to the car. I set off through a gated archway through a park where there’s a bricked dome-topped building with a museum inside. The trail then winds its way alongside fenced fields before curving round to reach the mountainside. The top is quite foggy so I don’t hang about for long and make straight down the other side to the train station. Upon arrival, I bump into my niece and my sister-in-law who’s been booked onto the Santa express. As I have time to kill before my train, I take my niece for a walk to the end of the platform to visit the train’s museum. She becomes enthralled in all the exhibits but when I return her to her mother I discover that she has already departed on the Santa Express.

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

 -J.K Rowling (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).

You can learn a lot of someone’s bad habits from watching people. It’s how they react to others that counts. Do they treat them the same way that they do their peers? Or do they expect more out of them and are they less welcoming? Listen hard and see what they say to them. Do they sound condescending? Do they sound disappointed that they have to deal with them? Do they scowl or retreat at the sight of them? But of course, if you’re caught being too observant then if they realise that you’re onto them they may alter their behaviour. This might even cause confusion since the other person is expecting to deal with the negative behaviour. But if you can’t work out who the inferiors are then you’re onto a good person. The problem is that if he considers that he has inferiors in the first place. I wonder if we’re expected to use the same process for women?

The Bull's Head Inn

This pub has had a strange history. It’s still a pub, and very much a drinking hole for the locals, but it’s a shame that the family haven’t treated it right and they’re not making an honest buck out of it. It’s run by a father whose son used to run a brewery just down the road. The brewery produced fantastic beers, but the father neglected them when it came to displaying them on the bar since he never cleaned his lines so everyone was getting tainted pints. Enraged, the son refused to supply beer to the pub, which is now trying to market itself as being owned by a brewery by placing its letters high outside on the entrance wall. It does serve food which I’ve never sampled. I’ve never heard of it being complimented, though they have put up blackboards by junctions which gives a whiff of desperation.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

It was good to see the pair back on screen again, but it’s a shame that the plot didn’t focus on something new. I also expected a bigger budget with some guest appearances and a bigger voice cast. There were some great cameo appearances on the franchise but they could have included more. What happened to Gromit and Fi-Fi? Some of the advertisement jokes could have done with a bit more screen time. Wallace’s Thunderbirds approach still manages to make an excellent opening scene. Norbert’s jokes are very good, and the character is easily integrated into a quiet urban area with only Gromit initially raising suspicions. The oddity is that I would have thought that penguins could have survived in sewers, though it could be argued that Mcgraw would consider this to be beneath him. Fans of heritage will be happy with the finale with both steam trains and narrowboats featured in the chase. It’s a feel-good film that will appeal to all.

After Hours #ralphcourtgardens 11

The ripples in the water are close together, you could mistake them for being monogrammed. At first glance, you’d think those circles in the water were fish, but they’re too colourful. But as the garden isn’t open at night, maybe they’re not being used to their full potential. Or perhaps the gardens are used exclusively by the owners, or they’re open at night on selected days. Otherwise, their installation would be pointless. They could waltz through the grounds with large glasses dancing where appropriate, so long as someone clears up after them ready for the following day’s trade. It’s impressive enough, but there’s still no fish. Perhaps they’re located near the other animals so that they can get fed in one go and the animals don’t disturb the tranquillity of the rest of the garden. As the sun captures the light of these gardens perfectly, they must make some interesting shadows.

 

Pillow Talk #dreamdiary 192

I’m lying in bed next to a beautiful young thing. We’re lying underneath  a thick white duvet while white sheets are underneath us. She’s dressed in a cotton white sports top and pyjama shorts while I’m wearing a matching t-shirt and boxers. It’s light enough for us both to see each other. She’s petit with short black hair and small perky breasts underneath miniature teeth. There’s been a safe resting space between us while we’ve been sleeping but now that we’re both awake we curl up together. We ask each other how we slept and it turns out that we’re both happy as we’ve both had a good night’s rest. Then we begin discussing dreams. It turns out that I’ve been busy slaying zombies by stepping through the gameplay of Resident Evil 4. It turns out that she’s done the same, albeit a different scene in the game. I wander if our moment here is part of the game and that there’s a herd of zombies out there ready to attack us right outside of our little den of sheets. But then I stand up and open the curtains and it’s just a normal sun rising over a sleepy block town.

Cheers to Beer

There’s songs about last orders and nights out but beer should have its own song, just as every TV show has its theme tune. But it doesn’t mean that you can copyright it and sell it or claim royalties every time that it’s sung. It needs to be shared and told everywhere, and it should be something that everyone can join in with, if only to add their own take on the verses. There may be someone who sings it best, and there may be many versions of it depending on where you go, but there’s also a story that needs to be learned. The downside is that with all the singing, it’s distracting people from actually tasting the beer. Imagine serving and having to sing every time someone ordered one. Many people just like to say cheers and chink their glass as it’s sweeter and gets to the point.

The Original Hobgoblin #ralphcourtgardens 9

So here he is, the original hobgoblin, before he escaped from the forest and started to sell beer. We don’t know if he’s just escaped from another realm, or if he is forging for a special kind of yeast or a fish to make finnings for a barrel. Maybe this is the backyard to his home which is why a skull is there to ward off evil spirits or donogooders. But from his expression, it looks like it’s a task that he finds difficult. But he goes through this process to create a product that’s worthy for him to consume and maybe to sell to others. He might keep a barrel in his hovel entirely for himself or he could own a bar where centaurs gather every night to sing songs and bask in his activities. These late nights might just require him to take a dip the following day to clear his head.

Am I Cheating the system?

I’ve been asked to make a purchase from a company on behalf of someone. It also happens to be the company that I work at. I order the product, but after that I find out that I can get it even cheaper from another company even with my employee discount. It does seem a bit disloyal, but why pay more for exactly the same product? And I’m also passing on the savings to the person who asked me to obtain it in the first place. I’m getting some loyalty points, but perhaps not as many as I would if I’d made the purchase as instructed. But I’ve got cash in my pocket and the payee has got their goods and a bit of money back as well. I’ve made a little bit of cash, but I still need to clear it off the credit card at some point. As long as I don’t forget and I’ve the funds available to pay it off when it’s due, everyone is happy.

Birth of a God #ralphcourtgardens 8

We’ve stumbled across someone’s eureka moment. It could even be a real live action shot and the character within has been swimming in liquid gold. But when the liquid leaves the pool, it’s pure, clear and clean enough to look like crystal. It’s a precious moment. And these four have just come by to watch. Three of them are proud to witness this moment standing in his garden, though it could be a cage for their amusement. We’re not sure of the fourth one since she’s a bit short and the railing has disguised her expression. They’ve got the best view since their railings are decorated. They may even be superior to the creature contained within these four corners. I wonder if the ladies would like him to be a bit less submerged. There’s even a sign for liability purposes. I wonder if anything else is emerging or is it simply the spot where more water hits the pond?

Boy, 14, stabbed to death as five attacked in Austria

What causes someone to do this? Is it the frustration and jealousy in not being able to integrate into a society? Is it a copycat incident where they hear about this happening somewhere else and decide that it’s a good idea to copy it? It sounds a bit stereotypical that the offender has a foreign background but that’s predominantly the case. As usual the comments focus on the witnesses and what has happened. Nothing can be confirmed until the police announce their findings, which they are only happy to do once they have completed their investigation. Often they need more details, but they can only get them if they make facts public. Most people want a motive, but often this isn’t declared and the guilty party ends up sitting in court in shame while people’s lives and plans have been shattered. And it’s just getting to be more and more common.