Customer feedback

So, I'm sure that I'm not alone in buying things via the internet.
I wonder if you've noticed the neediness of Amazon.
You visit Amazon, select the item, pay for it by your preferred method, within minutes you will probably have a confirmation email in your inbox, confirming your order, and estimated delivery date.  Amazon is not alone in this sequence of events, it's more or less the same whatever retailer you choose to buy from, but I think that Amazon is the most needy for feedback, they want to know about packaging, delivery date, etc.
If you were buying these items from a shop, Amazon's behaviour would be equivalent to the owner, or manager, of the shop chasing you down the street asking for feedback, ringing your doorbell after a space of time.
If you just ponder this, I'm sure the mental image you conjure up will make you smile, at least.

Two days left

This time Tuesday, I'll be making sure that I have everything in my bag ready for returning to work on Wednesday.
It could be a tense start to the new school year. What with the date for any voluntary redundancies having passed during the summer break, which was unfair, as there was no opportunity to consult with the union, an "imminent" Ofsted inspection, ( although why this should be a worry, I am not sure.....Ofsted seem to have shortened the length of time between visits, so we should be more used to them,) and lastly, a colleague has died over the summer break. As far as I know they weren't ill, at any rate, they hadn't been off I'll.
But, it will be good to get back into a routine, even though my pain relief injection has worn off.  I will just have to pace myself.
I do have an appointment with the consultant anaesthetist, and am on the waiting list for another injection.
So, I should make the most of the next couple of days.

Dreams.

Isn't it funny that we have no control over what we dream about?
Take last night, I had two very vivid dreams that frightened me.  One much more than the other.
The first one, I suppose, was a variation on a common dream "theme" that I tend to dream of. Just a different, but familiar, background, if that makes sense?  I often dream that I am somewhere that I am familiar with, but when I take a path that I know goes in a certain direction, I end up somewhere miles away from where I expected, ( and need,) to be.
Perhaps this is my subconscious bring up things that are going on in my life?
The other dream, I was caught up in some sort of revolt and was being treated as the "enemy".  I was about to be restricted in my movement, and just about to be when I woke.
In the first dream, I always wake before things get too bad, although last night I was very lost, and I kept taking paths that I was sure went where I wanted to be, only to find myself further away with each turn, just as you often do when following a maze.
This is probably just what I said, my mind mulling over problems in my life that I currently have no control over.

Cold calling.....revisited. (I'm sure that I have blogged about this before.)

So...I was in the bathroom when the phone rang.  I was/am expecting a call from a friend, so I called to Edwin to get the call.
When I got there I heard Edwin say, "well she's here now".  So, the person had asked for me by name, they had my phone number as well.  (I do have telephone preference service, which is supposed to get rid of cold calls.)
So as far as I'm concerned I was quite within my rights, my phone, my peace disturbed, to ask where they got my number from.  As my number is unlisted, someone has given/sold it to them.
The man had the cheek to state that I was being rude!  I did get cross, as he just said that it was on a piece of paper in front of him...which on reflection sounds like someone passed it to him on a grubby piece of paper, torn from the corner of an envelope.
So next time I get a call like that, I'll ask for their superior's name, and to be put through to them......or ask for their home phone number, so that I can bug them at home.

Migraine.....who'd have them? Willingly?

Had a rubbish day today.
I expect my spinal stenosis to mess up my days, but migraine, I wish it could take a hike.
Today, I got up late, ate food, had it a second time.
Fed up.
I just want to go back to bed. I had big plans for today. Baking, sewing reading, knitting, but I just ended up relaxing, I didn't want to.

Going off on a tangent, or am I?

After reading about the stone skimming championship events that sparked yesterday's post, I found myself mulling over the technical aspects of stone skimming.
You may, or may not, know that Oliver, one of my son's, is a physicist, and that I work in the maths department at school as part of my job.
I pictured the maths teachers, some of who have engineering backgrounds, sitting down working out the optimum angle and speed to pitch the stone in order for it to bounce the maximum number of times.......then I realised that the technical aspects reach further, and maybe a physicist would get more accurate results.  Taking into consideration the size, shape, and weight of the stone required.
And then I pictured all these mathematicians, engineers and scientists attending the championship event, and getting really fantastic results......it being incredibly tense as who would win, and then after they all have pitched their stones, a little urchin child comes up, picks up a random stone, pitches it, and beats the lot of them.
I wonder if that is what will happen?
There's only one way to find out, and that's go to the Fellfoot event. The one at Easdale is a bit too off the beaten track from here.

Any good at stone skimming?

I heard about this on the news today.
On Sunday 27th of September 2015, the national stone skimming championship will be held.
Where?
How do I qualify?
Do I need to be a professional stone skimmer?
These are all questions I hear being asked.
The answers can be found at this web address,http://www.stoneskimming.com/
If you don't have time to look.
Championship is open for up to 350 competitors, no experience, (professional status not required, as there is none,) just turn up at Easdale Island Community Hall in Argyllshire, on the day before 1pm and register.

So....what are you waiting for?  Close down your computer....NOW!  And get out there practising.
I do hope it makes the news on that day.
Happy skimming.....oh, and this is my 700th post.

There's also the National stone skimming championship at Fellfoot in the Lake District this month.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fell-foot/things-to-see-and-do/events/

Sorry, the one at Easdale, in Scotland are the World stone skimming championship.  I apologize for the mix up.

Random acts of kindness

Have you ever committed one of these?
I suppose that I did recently.
What I did was insignificant in the "grand scheme of things", but to the person who was on the receiving end...it will have positive effects.
So, I was happy to do what I did, and would do it again, without a thought, if I knew it would make just one random person happy.
If you ever do....it's the knowledge that you have helped make someone's day brighter that you get from it.
Just doing something random, can make another person's life lighter for a short while, and if it costs you nothing ....why not?