Terry Pratchett: The Embuggerance …

You know, I’ll possibly have to write this up, later: when I know more.

But I’ve just seen this piece from The Guardian float past.

Terry Pratchett, my favourite author, and a man whose work I’ve followed for some time, has had to pull out of the biggest Discworld convention on the planet.

As a result of the slowly increasing effects of the version of Early Onset Alzheimer’s was diagnosed with.

~≈Í≈~

The Daily Teaser — 3-7-2014: In The Club

You know, times have been a touch tough, recently.

Cancelled benefit, a hernia, lord knows what else will be happening in the meantime.

It has to be said, though, there’s been a couple of upsides.

For starters?   The Fresh Start course I’m on, seems to be going well.

On top of that … ?  I owe a couple of rather generous readers a big ‘Thank You’: for hitting the Donate button you can find down the side of the (desktop) version of Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar

THANK YOU.

You’ve both helped me, financially.   And have both lifted my mood, and boosted my faith in human nature.

~≈∑≈~

The Brentwood Gazette’s Weekly Teaser — 2-7-2014: Civil Rights

Hmmm … 

My officially on-going situation … 

Is officially on-going … 

~≈Œ≈~

You’ve possibly worked out that I’m job-seeking, haven’t you … ?   And that — for various reasons — I’ve had my benefits suspended.

Unjustifiably, I believe.

I’ve appealed.   Applied for a mandatory reconsideration, I should say: which is how the Department of Work And Pensions describe it.

I’ve also put in for hardship payments: which is what I’ve just chased up, on the DWP’s help line.

Turn’s out I’m going to have to phone them, again … on Friday, when my form should’ve reached them.   It seem that the thing has to go to Manchester — if I heard the young lady, correctly — THEN to the relevant local office to be processed.

Complicatedly bureaucratic?

Yes.

Hopefully, though, things won’t get as messy as Brazil … 

~≈Ø≈~

The Daily Teaser — 2-6-2014

You know, I’ve been having a rough few days.

No, really.

And I think it’s about to get worse.

Or surgical, at any rate.

I’ve a hospital appointment, for an ultrasound scan.

For a possible hernia, would you believe!

Frankly, I’m … well, mildly nervous.

Nervous … and slowly starting to feel hungry, as I have to avoid food, prior to the scan.

So … starving, and skint.

We’ll have to see what else I can add, by the end of the week … 

~≈Ø≈~

The Daily Teaser — 1-7-2014: Walk Like A Walkman

Well … 

That’s a start … 

~≈∑≈~

You’ve been following me for a while, haven’t you … ?

And probably realised I’ve have had my out of work benefits stopped: over being put off a Mandatory Work Placement scheme through — I believe — no or little fault of mine.

Understandably … ?   Understandably, I’ve spent most of the weekend running the gamut of emotions: from depressed, to suicidal, to thoughtful … to outright steaming anger, with a hair trigger that — given the wrong circumstances or too many beers — have done some damage.

I’m thankful yesterday was a Monday, though.

That meant various offices were open.

And meant that I could put in an initial appeal — called a Mandatory Reconsideration — against the decision to suspend my benefit, and could put in a claim for hardship funds.

What happens now … ?   What happens, now, is very little: and mostly involves me hurrying up and waiting.

Frankly … ?   Frankly, I’m expecting the worst to happen: although I hope any hardship payments enable me to get by, for now.

Either way … ?

It feels good to have been able to have done something positive.

~≈∑≈~