Week 38, Day 1 (Deadlines schmedlines)

I guess I'm going to have to face it - this kid is not going to arrive until he jolly well feels like it.

My fault entirely for making things too comfy for him ;-)

Time to moan about another bank - Westpac. If you've ever had to ask them for any historical data, you'll know exactly what I mean. There's a client I'm busy trying to catch up, and we need to know some really basic stuff about end of year transactions for the periods ending 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

I know that if he were with just about any other bank, I'd have had those figures within five minutes of the first time we asked.

Instead, the red bank has hummed, hawed, haahed, and each time taken about a month to give me entirely the wrong data! So we asked again. And they stuffed it up again (after many niggles and reminders and long delays).

This time I sent the client an email, and asked them to print it out and take it into the bank. No kidding - a blind man with a wooden leg with NO financial training could see what I'm asking for here, so no excuse for fluffing it again!

That was earlier this week. We're still waiting for any kind of reply. Apparently the data has to be sourced from the archives, and that involves writing letters and waiting a long time.

Good grief.. I wonder if IRD (and baby) will accept the excuse "The bank ate my homework"??

Never mind the 21st century, Westpac. How about you get with the 20th???

...oo0oo...

We're too kind hearted for our own good.

I mean, take this cat. No really, please someone TAKE this damn cat!

Horse is 100% adorable, and has a terrific personality, and most importantly of all, he does not drool, drip, drop or otherwise orally leak. This is a major upgrade from our other six.

But still he eats like it's going out of fashion, and now that he feels secure in his tenure, he's started taking it out on the other cats if the food critic in him is not 100% sated.

• Don't like waiting until after dark for the can opener? Yell at the humans and get up on benches as a protest.
• Don't like the variety of cat biscuits in the bowls, 24/7 ?? Find a sleeping Badger and smack her around a while.
• Don't like the flavour of tinned stuff Dad opened? Walk backwards and forwards between the three bowls down the hallway, and get into yowling fights with everyone you see.

Horse, I like you lots, but if you don't sort your shit out, you'll be out of here. I have to play the numbers, mate. The other six deserve to be able to enjoy their own house, and I'm too distracted to molly your coddle.

Consider this your written warning ;-)