The Gazette … And synchronicity …

Oh …

Now that’s …

Well …

Strange … ?

Weird … ?

Asymptomatic of deep-seated spiritual problems in the modern chicken-farmer … ?

Actually, I think we can ignore that last bit, unless you’re a chicken-farmer.

You see, I’ve just had a bit of a coincidence happen to me: something I think Jüng would’ve called a synchronicity: a meaningful coincidence, in other words.

You see, I’d bought a copy of the Brentwood Gazette, this morning.

And was drafting an email about the Town Hall: seemingly, Brentwood Council decided, after a rather noisier meeting than usual, to demolish it.

Here’s what I sent them …

Dear Sir,

I’ve got to admit, I read the article in this week’s Gazette about the Council’s heated discussion about Brentwood’s Town Hall.

And find myself having a certain amount of mixed feelings.

On the one hand … ?

On the one hand, I’m sympathetic to the idea of cutting the operating costs.

On the other, I’m thinking that the Council’s seeming incompetence at running the local economy means that the Town hall gets shut.

Definitely a disappointment, I’m thinking.

I’m one of Brentwood’s many socially housed tenants.

For me, and for many others, Brentwood’s Town hall is an important part of our lives: for those of us who pay rent — and Council Tax — to Brentwood Council, claim benefits for either, and many other thing’s, it is a first port-of-call.

Now, granted, the two options presented leave something as a focal point for residents.

But I — for one — couldn’t help notice that any options for renting out out the unused floors … seemingly hadn’t been costed: or presented at the meeting.

Given we know Brentwood Council can be a touch lax about these things … ?

I can’t help but wonder if Tory members had bothered.

Purely to make sure the options they wanted were mostly likely to go through.

The weird bit … ?

Or strange/odd/chicken-farmer-spiritual-crisisy, however you want to put it … ?

Was just as I was getting the draft copied over from the open Pages window and into an email to send to them … ?

I gat a call from Gazette Journalist, Paul Ainsworth!

See what I mean … ?

And about a subject I know I’d heard nothing about for a while.

The parking, here on Rollason Way …

Seems a few have been complaining about plastic barriers at the other end of Rollason Way.

I told him what I could, although I don’t know if I was any help: beyond giving Paul a certain amount of ‘insight’.

Which makes me sound like some sort of wizened ol’ hermit, on a mountain top, dispensing the odd bit of wisdom, as and when asked …

Oh, well.

If nothing else, it sounds like I’m going to get a mention in next week’s Gazette, whatever happens … !

Either way … ?

Enjoy the light-cycle race …

Emails, Preference Lists, and Benefits.

Bleugh …

I’m starting to thinking I’m having a long day: a long boring one, at that.

But at least I have a clean floor, and equally clean t-shirts.

I’ll worry about my socks and undies, later, I think.

Once I’ve actually managed to get the t-shirts … in the dryer … !!

»»»•«««

Hang on, gimme a second …

Ooooh …

That lemony smell of drying laundry … … … …

»»»•«««

You can tell I’m both bored and tired, can’t you … ?

Well, if you can’t … !

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes … … … … … … … … …

»»»•«««

Now, I’ve got to admit, I’ve finally — with a bit of help from the friendly folk at the Apple Forums — managed to track down what was happening with the various bits of software in my main account.

I had knackered property lists: or .plists if you want the proper terminology!

Basically, .plists, as they’re known, are the various smallish text files that hold various user settings for their associated applications.

And over time … ?

They can get a touch …

Well …

Touchy …

Or out and out corrupted.

Which is …

Well …

It’s rare, in my experience.

But it has happened before: mostly on my old G4, when it was running NeoOffice 2.2 and earlier, under Mac OS X 10•4•x.

But if you, unlike me, realise what’s happening, there’s a simple solution to the problem.

Which is quite simply to dig deep into your home folder — /Users/You/Library/Preferences — and trash the relevant .plist.

Which has worked.

Wonderfully well.

Saying that … ?

I think I’ll keep the extra Standard account: less vulnerable to someone seeking to take remote control of my machine.

|»•«|

But let’s move on to what I was going to tell you about, shall I … ?

Phew!

Something I’ve been meaning to do, since I managed to pick up this week’s Gazette, is to tell you I’ve written — in between heavy .plist trashing, watching The Brain Of Morbius and listening to a little bit of Jean Michele Jarre — to the Brentwood Gazette.

AGAIN!

Yes, I know it’s getting to be almost a ritualistic habit of mine, but their front page caught my attention, this week.

Mostly where their were giving a fait bit of coverage to the possible plans for Brentwood’s town hall.

Which basically boil down to either selling it, or refurbishing it.

Here’s what I wrote them, this time …

Dear Sir,

I’ve got to admit, I read the front page of this week’s Brentwood Gazette with a bit of a frown on my face.

And the thought in mind that Brentwood Town Hall is simply going to be sold, rather than refurbished.

Cynical … ?

Quite probably.

But also very aware that Brentwood Council’s had a long history of having trouble with book-keeping: so I’m thinking that selling off council property will make a lot of appeal to both councillors and officers.

I personally believe that — long term — Brentwood Council would be better off refurbishing the old place, and renting out — or selling off — the un-used top floor for something.

To the Job Centre Plus agency, for example.

Now, I’ve got to be honest, I’m job-hunting, at the moment: I’m very aware that the Job Centre, like every other government agency, is strapped for cash.

So their moving into an unused floor of the town hall, as an example … ?

Does make sense.

Much like the Conservatives proposed Universal Benefit.

Speaking personally, though?

I think I like the latter, less than the former.

A hell of a lot less.

Yours,

And I’ve got to be honest, I’m fairly serious in NOT liking what I’ve heard — so far — of the planned changes the Conservative side of our central government.

Oh, I can understand why the Conservatives would like to both change Britain’s Welfare system, and simplify it all.

But for someone like me, who’s actually living on it … ?

Mind having a word in the appropriate earholes, Councillor Chilvers … ?

|»±«|