Mmmm...mammalicious!

Its amazing how something just comes up and slaps you on the arse so to speak. I can be sitting without a clue about what to write then all of a sudden bang. And it was like that when I sat down to write this, Bang red butt cheek time. Ok to set the scene, my son has just finished his GCSE’s and back this time last year I basically bribed him. Although I would prefer if we called it an incentive. Now for a successful bribe sorry incentive to work you have to know the person pretty well. Pick something that is really going to fire them up to get the desired result. Now in this instant the result we are looking for is consistent hard work over a whole year. Quite a hard goal ill bet your thinking. Especially for a fifteen/sixteen year old.

So the prize had to befit the effort put in. Now I am not that up with the teenage kids and what’s in and what’s out etc. And I know that girls at that age are very different to boys. I have one of each and there like chalk and cheese, apart from one very simple thing there desire to absorb vast amounts of your hard earned cash without a thought. Anybody out there in blog land who has small kids take note of this next bit. If you think that having the children the Prams, Nappies, Toys, New car to fit it all in etc is expensive and that it must get easer financially think again. No the older they get the greater the cost. The bigger they get the bigger the bills. Not toys or nappies any more but clothes, mobile top ups, new shoes/trainers the list just goes on and on.

Anyway back to the point of all this. Like I guess most lads of his age my son is into his PS2 or Xbox. And is completely proficient with a keyboard when it’s attached to a computer. Nothing wrong with that the trouble is that he spends so much time on the PC that none of the rest of us can get near it. Not game playing you understand, not surfing the web, but doing home work. Yes ladies and gentlemen the modern secondary school is a hub for the IT literate. There is not much that is not done or connected with the PC. Homework is emailed to teachers for marking. Work sheets are available to download from dedicated servers in the school. Both my kids were given dedicated email addresses when the started so they could talk to tutor and friends. As I said my son loves computers and so I decided that a fitting incentive was on of his own. Now in a rare moment of sanity he decides that a Laptop or as they are called now notebooks is the best option. There more portable than desk top PC’s. Thinking ahead to uni.

Great sorted the game is afoot Watson as they say. And I have to say he rose to the challenge magnificently I have never seen him work so hard. So there I am a year on and about to spend over £900 (yes he is worth it) on this miniature miracle of modern technology. All good, order on the web, yes, well no. If I want it delivered to work I have to phone so they can get extra security clearance. Ok work address not recognised even though I work there with other workers. After many arguments on the phone I have to agree to let them send it home so day off at short notice is needed. Fuck annual leave running low because of extensive holidays but son and heir is still worth it.

Now this is the strange bit. Because of not finding my work address on there computer even though I could prove it existed I had to have it delivered to home. However I was able to pay with someone else’s credit card without even a flicker. All the company wanted was for me to read the number from the card quote the expiry date and give the security pin which is on the back. I know it’s my wife’s card but it’s not in joint names or even has the same name on it. And I’m clearly not a Ms. they did not even want to speak to her. Honestly I could have lifted it out of someone’s bag ten minuets before and had a spree. So much for security.

This last bit is written just before sending piece off to the Ed.
The Note book when delivered was wrong model. Have spoken to customer services about getting it swapped. I feel another saga coming on. Will keep you posted.
Matt