Reading etc.

One night I went to book a train ticket online. I went to the iarnrod eireann website. I typed in my email address, my iarnrod eireann password and my full name, I booked my seat, I inserted my card expiry date, number and CVV number. Then I came to verified by visa which I hate with the passion of a thousand suns. Our internet security (Kaspersky) would not let me insert the relevant details in secure mode or otherwise. The train people promised terrible consequences if I gave up or left the page. At one in the morning, I gave up and left the page. Added bonus the link page you are to go to, if you are having trouble is a 404.

The next day, Mr. Waffle told me how to disable Kaspersky. I went online. I disabled the internet security. On the iarnrod eireann site I typed in my email address, my iarnrod eireann password and my full name, I booked my seat, I inserted my card expiry date, number and CVV number. Then I came to verified by visa and inserted my password. Twice. Wrong password even though I had it written down in front of me (internet security experts everywhere gasp in horror). I reset my password. It asked for the first four numbers of my bank account, the street or district where I lived when I was 10 (somewhat vague that no? Comes with the ominous advice that you had better remember your answer as it may be used as a security question in the future). I have done something wrong. I am locked out.

Ring verified by visa helpline and trouble a poor English woman who I am sure would rather be doing other things at 9.30 in the evening. Wouldn’t we all? I give my name, my bank account number and part of my online banking pin. She resets my card and tells me to continue my purchase. I go back to Iarnrod Eireann, I type in my email address, my iarnrod eireann password, my full name, I book my seat, I insert my card expiry date, number and CVV number. Then I came to verified by visa and reset my password and, finally, it worked.

It’s all about the positive customer experience, isn’t it?

Leaving aside books written by those nearly related to me, these are my top 5 books of 2014, in order of preference:

“In the Woods” by Tana French
“Dear Life” by Alice Munro
“Greenery Street” by Denis Mackail
“Love Nina” by Nina Stibbe
“Look Who’s Back” by Timur Vermes

2014 was a really great year for me – I read loads of books I enjoyed very much and the choice of a top five was unusually hard. More detailed reviews below, lifted from old posts and slightly updated, if you care.

“In the Woods” by Tana French

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It’s a detective story and a page turner but also very well written; quite lyrical in places without ever being dull. The author has written quite a few books and I plan to read them all. I’ve read another one since and it is just as good as the first and would have made this list only I was very tight for space.

“Dear Life” by Alice Munro

I really enjoyed this collection. I had read some of her work in the past and found it tough going but I found this collection drew me back again and again and I was putting aside other things to read it. I am not sure whether her style has changed or whether I like her better now that I am older. These short stories are all sad. They are slices of life and although things happen, that is not really the point. She is superb at drawing characters; not necessarily very nice or appealing characters but convincing ones. She writes beautifully. Well worth a read.

“Greenery Street” by Denis Mackail

My kind sister-in-law gave me a present of this in the Persephone Bookss edition and I was charmed. It is a lovely novel about a young married couple in their first home. The couple are singularly ineffectual, always running out of money and live in fear of their maid whom they call “the murderess”. All their crises, however, are minor ones and happily resolved.

I discovered on reading the introduction that Angela Thirkell, whose books I like very much, was the older and much loathed sister of Denis Mackail. Apparently she was by far the stronger personality of the two. I can see that as there is a sweetness in “Greenery Street” which is entirely absent in Thirkell’s work.

“Love Nina” by Nina Stibbe

This is a very entertaining read but might possibly be even more entertaining, if you were intimate with literary London in the 1980s. Unacquainted as I am with London literary figures, it still made me laugh. Also, Alan Bennett is a lovely man.

“Look Who’s Back” by Timur Vermes

The conceit of this novel, which was a best seller in Germany, is that Hitler wakes up in modern day Germany. Everyone things that he is a Hitler impersonator and he becomes a media darling. It has some very clever and amusing pieces like when Hitler tries to set up an email account (“Adolf Hitler” – No that’s gone – “Reichstag” -That’s gone too – and so on) and when he visits the neo-nazi offices. Quite daring overall, as well as funny, and interesting.

Do you remember that I mentioned my obsession with brass polishing? And that I was nervous about tackling the fender? Well, the month of December has seen me turn my attention to this particular labour of love.

I would like you to know that shining a brass fender is a deeply rewarding activity. Also I would have made a fantastic scullery maid.

Achieved this evening:

• Updated excel spreadsheet and printed off childminder’s payslip.
• Filed away bills and bank statements and notice of derisory dividend arising from unwise share purchase of many years ago.
• Signed up to electricity supplier’s online billing on the basis that I would get €20 off my shopping.  The voucher does not appear to have materialised.  Signed up to electricity supplier’s rewards scheme.  Apparently, I will get money off my electricity bill just by shopping in my usual supermarket. On both occasions I needed to give them my name, account number, meter number, date of birth and two different passwords, lest anyone hack my account and pay my bill for me or take away my exciting rewards.
• Tried and failed to work out what is covered as set out in my healthcare cover renewal letter and filed it away lest it become clearer at a later point.
• Did online shopping for delivery on Friday.  Noted that I have shopped in my usual supermarket and no electricity money off voucher appeared to be forthcoming.
• Agonised about the use of full stops in a bulleted list.
• Realised it was NaBloPoMo and posted this.

And how was your own exciting Wednesday evening?

We went to see the small Greek orthodox chapel in Arbour Hill. Who knew that there were sufficient members of the Greek orthodox community here to support a church? Mr. Waffle and I went in, the boys sat outside expressing zero interest and a strong desire to go home and commune further with the x-box. The Princess was at a party.

The Princess and I saw a pebble dash house constructed in the yard of the museum to make us think about house design.

We also got to see the Anglo-Irish bank sign. When it came down, it was saved for the nation. To inspire bitterness in current and future generations, one can only assume.

Mr. Waffle and I finally watched “What Richard Did“. Beautiful cinematography; my sister calls that the kiss of death for a film. People loved this film which came out in 2012. It had the potential to be interesting and plot driven but instead it was boring though beautiful to look at.

Mr. Waffle and I also went to the opening film of the French film festival, “Bande de Filles“. It’s about a group of young, black female friends in the Parisian suburbs. It’s very good on the limited options open to these girls and how hard it is for them to escape from various unhappy destinies but it doesn’t really have a narrative arc and could have ended at a number of different points. One of the actresses was there and it was so strange because in the film she is the leader of the gang, quite intimidating and fills the screen whereas in reality she is tiny and seems very self-effacing though quietly confident.

Yesterday, the Princess and I went to a musical interlude in the new(ish) theatre in the docklands where I had never been before. I had written about this at some length but failed to save it. Here is a summary: It was musical, it was short and it was mildly enjoyable.