Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Love is....

Such a weak word in the English language.

Mushy, soppy writing coming up..get ready with the Kleenex, or click onto another bookmark NOW.

You don't really understand love until you have really experienced it, and I'm not talking about the lustful feeling you may get when looking at that rather sexy shop assistant.

The Greeks have three distinct words for love (although certain expressions convey a lot more than English ever could); eros - passionate love, so love at first sight, the first 6 months or less (or so) of a relationship, but with a proviso that this actually develops into 'proper' love; philia - an enjoyment of companionship; agape - probably the most important of all, this is the "love stops at nothing" love and what Paul was on about when he said that if he didn't have it he was like a sounding bell or a tinkling cymbal. The KJV 1611 translates it as 'charity' - which just proves how weak our language is. The word charity is actually closer to the translation than the word love, which is what most modern translations have it, but even the meaning of the word charity had been watered down over the centuries.

The Bible, Plato and Aristotle aside (the latter two, as far as I'm aware, just spent time thinking about it rather than doing something about it), when you ask people of different ages, at different stages of their lives and at different stages of their relationships with other humans, "What Is Love?", you will get a hundred answers. Much like the Greeks, they don't really have definitive answers either.

What is love to me? I lost the initial eros love for my husband years and years ago. But it has developed into the love that Plato said that it should. Philia - I can't imagine being with anyone else and do not enjoy anyone's company more. Agape - I love him even when he does stuff that annoys me.

When you see an elderly couple walking down the road holding hands, and imagining that they have always been that way since they married in early sixties, you glimpse what love really is, and I still hold my husband's hand after 16 years and hope that I still will be in another 16 years.

One thing you can really be sure of - true love really is eternal, and you don’t need to be Greek to recognise that.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Oh....my....gosh...

Atheist, agnostic or God-fearing believer, you cannot fail to be utterly over-awed by this.

Late addendum - just noticed this is my 50th post. Great that it was something inspiring for once, I really couldn't have planned it.

Good ISP....um...Bad ISP...

OK, I'm very confused.

http://www.netservicesplc.com/pr_v_two_one.php

People power has won through and due to pressure, suddenly NS have temporarily connected us back again, but only guaranteed until Friday. Once we can no longer connect we can go where the heck we please.

Why no comment from V21/Biscit? Why have legal proceedings not commenced? Why has their customer service gone to pot, not answering even hypothetical questions from their users, but just laying the blame firmly at NS's door? And WHY have V21/Biscit not updated their website with the late olive branch from NS (albeit it sounds like a disgruntled and crushed olive branch)?

I don't want to move to EezeeDSL. But whilst V21/Biscit remain quiet on the issue and just state "It's not faaaairrr...its not ooourrrr fault..weee caaaan't doooo anneeethinnngg" like little kiddies, I'm seriously considering going somewhere else entirely. A shame. V21 were, by far, the best UK ISP I have used.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Bad bad bad BAD Customer Service

Netservices terminates v21 services

I guess I have been pretty blessed not to be caught up in such a farce as this one before. Unfortunately, V21 has been my ISP for some time and, I believe, one of the best UK providers there are.

It's odd - I'm not feeling for myself very much. I feel for the customers of V21, the angry customers who phone up to complain, the telephone watchdogs and V21 customer services who must surely be going through hell. I can ride out the storm, connect to the internet via the LAN at my employer's when I need to and just wait until the bun fight stops, and V21/Biscit emerge victorious (as they surely will). The real 'child' here though is Netservices, aggrieved with losing their business to Biscit, and sulking because V21 queried an invoice, have turned to dirty tricks worthy of the alledged British Airways of some years back. In brief - they control the ADSL for the V21 broadband customers, so therefore can do what the heck they like with them, 'offering' them a service with another provider (in some cases, double the price of v21) and if we don't like it....well we can lump it, because we're not going to talk to you.

BAD BAD BAD ATTITUDE!

I've worked for employers that have taken a serious nosedive in the City - the way out is to work to improve your relationship with both your customers and suppliers - NOT try to make the best out of a bad situation by turning to tricks such as this.

Shame on you, Netservices. I don't think you will exist by the end of next year, and I don't think anyone will mourn your passing. Cut me off on 24 November, I will simply reconnect with V21. Some victory.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Sunday Morning (a short poem)

The wind
and the rain
fight to get through my window

I
ignore them
and pull the duvet over my head