So it has been about 4 months since my last post, but I have a little downtime on a particularly dark and rainy Sunday so I figured I would procrastinate from real work and post a brief update about what I have been up to.
I have been very busy at work, but still very engaged with the stuff that I get to work on. It is nice having a job where I actually enjoy getting up in the morning and going. It also helps that it provides a little more job security than working at a start-up, a bank or Iceland.
The summer went by too quickly with another sailing trip to Croatia, a few weddings including one in Turkey, visiting the family back in the States and speaking at a conference in Crete. I also had some downtime due to a small surgery (a Laparoscopic cholecystectomy), but at least I am now healthier.
I did manage to pass my UK driving test on the first try (even though I hit the curb and stalled out), so that frustrating portion of my life is over (until I have to take a driving test again for some reason that I can't foresee). Currently, what is driving me nuts is dealing with the Experian credit reporting agency and HSBC.
I have had an HSBC credit card in the UK for three years and have kept a very good history with them. However, when I went to get a new UK credit card (one that offers Virgin Atlantic miles), I was denied because, according to MBNA and Experian, I have no credit history. In attempting to fix this, I have had to sign up for a on-going credit report access and have spent countless hours talking to customer service peons at both HSBC and Experian. HSBC claims that they send the credit data to Experian, but Experian says that they have not received anything. Neither side seems too interested in helping me. The latest response I received was that I should check with Royal Mail because my address is not formatted properly. VERY irritating. I wonder why I keep paying off my credit card bills if they don't even report whether I do.
So I have plenty of things to work on, but am doing well as the winter sets in. I turn 30 this November, which I guess is the next big milestone in my life.
I have been very busy at work, but still very engaged with the stuff that I get to work on. It is nice having a job where I actually enjoy getting up in the morning and going. It also helps that it provides a little more job security than working at a start-up, a bank or Iceland.
The summer went by too quickly with another sailing trip to Croatia, a few weddings including one in Turkey, visiting the family back in the States and speaking at a conference in Crete. I also had some downtime due to a small surgery (a Laparoscopic cholecystectomy), but at least I am now healthier.
I did manage to pass my UK driving test on the first try (even though I hit the curb and stalled out), so that frustrating portion of my life is over (until I have to take a driving test again for some reason that I can't foresee). Currently, what is driving me nuts is dealing with the Experian credit reporting agency and HSBC.
I have had an HSBC credit card in the UK for three years and have kept a very good history with them. However, when I went to get a new UK credit card (one that offers Virgin Atlantic miles), I was denied because, according to MBNA and Experian, I have no credit history. In attempting to fix this, I have had to sign up for a on-going credit report access and have spent countless hours talking to customer service peons at both HSBC and Experian. HSBC claims that they send the credit data to Experian, but Experian says that they have not received anything. Neither side seems too interested in helping me. The latest response I received was that I should check with Royal Mail because my address is not formatted properly. VERY irritating. I wonder why I keep paying off my credit card bills if they don't even report whether I do.
So I have plenty of things to work on, but am doing well as the winter sets in. I turn 30 this November, which I guess is the next big milestone in my life.
