(no subject)

[tree_and_leaf]

We're having problems with phone lines at home - the chap who had the phone line in his name has moved out, so we have to be cut off and issued with a new number, which of course will break the internet. (I didn't realise that these days telephone numbers are associated with individuals, rather than houses, but as the chap in question has moved to Brussels and therefore doesn't want a BT contract, it seems silly).

As our ISP wanted £55 for the privilege of altering the phone number, we decided to move to BT. All very well and good. Except - could we order the new internet connection to be switched on when the phone line goes over? No. It has to be ordered, separately and subsequently, 48 hours after the phone has been switched over. Which looks like - given the weekend - we'll be internetless for a week, at least.

Oh woez - well, it is a bit of a pain, with Noughth Week next week (known as Freshers' Week elsewhere, I believe ;) ). And our MCR still hasn't got a programme out - but that's another rant entirely.

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Oh noes!

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

The service economy once again proves to be nothing of the sort.

An echo of old attitudes in me is intrigued by the concept of an MCR programme that is actually missed, but that's an old prejudice, as I really only discovered St John's MCR in my final year, and found that I had missed a lot of chocolate parties formally called 'MCR meetings'.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

So that's what an MCR gets up to ...

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

First the MCR committee were ritually stripped, then they were fed one malteser each. A vote was taken on the second malteser, while a giant cauldron of hot fondue was raised above the committees heads as they begged...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

No, you're getting confused; that was Friday night's room party at Oxonmoot ...

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

...and I missed it!

(Revisiting this post I see that there are obviously all sorts of dark corners in my mind...)

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

No, don't you remember May Day '00? MCR's are there to provide you with Port.

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Evidently I don't... and the termcard doesn't seem to have gone up online, either, to remind me. This must have been at Hertford, courtesy of Sir Owain...?

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Precisely.

[tree_and_leaf]

I knew St John's was full of decadents!

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I didn't know the half of it...

There are a number of reasons why I never got involved with the MCR at St John's, one of which involved it seeming in my first year to be an inward-looking extension of the boat club. While retaining its boatiness the next couple of years were more welcoming, but I was by that stage as deep in the Arthurians as I was my thesis, if not (disturbingly) more so, and it was only as my thesis drew to a close and the Arthurians seemed to be on a firmer footing (with the advent of gwydion_writes) that I started to stick my head round the door of a few things.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

That's so irritating. My phone service lapsed over the summer when my credit card expired, but thankfully all I had to do was call them and give them my new information, and they reinstated it. Vonage has its downside (my Internet connection is somewhat spotty, which makes my phone service equally spotty), but their customer service people have always been helpful.

I keep wanting to join our MCR -- well, in my college, it's just CR -- committee since it seems like they always have a good time, but my spare time is minimal to begin with, and I'd rather not commit if I can't promise to put in a good effort. I'm surprised yours hasn't got a programme ready yet -- ours was e-mailed out at least a week and a half ago.

[tree_and_leaf]

Our committee seems to be totally disorganised this year; though someone said this lunchtime that the programme is on the 'MCR live' message board. Which is all very well, but I never check it - neither does anyone apart from the committee, I think, and we have all forgotten our logins.

I enjoyed my time on the committee, though I think it makes a big difference how good the president or whoever is acting as chairman is, but I shan't be repeating it, as I am too unproductive as it is (and have enough distractions in the form of Scouts and Chapel...)

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Anyway, as I know all too well, lack of internet at home iz teh sux0rz. Are you close enough to college that you could conveniently get in and use the terminals there?

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes - I can even use my own computer, as we have wifi, which allows me to lurk in the MCR in a leather armchair, drinking coffee. Just as well, as the library network has decided it hates me.

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

You may have a derisive 'ha!' from me at the term "Freshers' Week". That was what they used to call it at Exeter in the good old days when I actually was one - a Fresher, that is, not a week. In my second year they changed the name to "Induction Week", and everyone laughed at it. In my third year they changed it again, and to this very day it is known to the Freshers as "Welcome Week". To everyone else it is, predictably enough, known as "Freshers' Week".

Also, bah, stupid internets.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

My abiding memory of Freshers' Fair is of having Iran Soc and Iraq Soc at opposite ends of a staircase, howling abuse at each other.

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh dear God. Worst freshers' fair moment ever? - All you needed was the Jewish Society to make the horror complete!

(Someone making an alphabetic plan who hadn't watched the Yes, Prime Minister episode about the funeral, clearly. Or thought for ten seconds.)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I had a grandstand seat at the Chaplaincy stand (but due to the odd pattern of our "squares", it could well have been alphabetical).

More bizarre is the old defence union, CENTO - Central Traty Organisation, I think. USA, UK, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

[thealmondtree.livejournal.com]

There are times when BT seem to be out of the Ark. My personal gripe is that I deal with pretty well everything financial but BT won't allow you to have more than one name on the account and so I can't deal with anything that actually has to be done in person (every other utility company has both of us, or will at least deal with me if I have the right passwords).

[tree_and_leaf]

They're ridiculous - although they are about three pounds a month cheaper than or previous internet supplier, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too loudly.