If you could just confirm your identity...

Today, it seems, we live in a world gone security mad.

Rudely awakened from an unexpected yet totally justified afternoon nap, I was not in the best of moods when I snatched up the telephone receiver only to hear the unmistakeable background chatter of the call centre. Nor was I amenable when asked to 'confirm my identity' by giving them exactly the information a criminal would require to steal it, just so my car insurance company could try and sell me additional services.

Now don't get me wrong, I am all for security, as I demonstrated by not being in a sharing mood, I just object to the way that companies use it to make us feel they're more important than they are. No one needs to confirm my identity in order to sell me hire car cover on my insurance policy, the fact that I've answered MY phone, and said YES when they've asked for me should be enough.

The sad truth is that cyber crime, identity theft and credit card fraud has left us feeling vulnerable, but like the overuse of antibiotics, this constant barrage of pin numbers, passwords and security questions only desensitises us and makes us more exposed than we ever were before.

Vomit on your shoulder.

Today was an interesting day, well I say interesting but what I mean is vomity. It started with my dear son vomiting on the kitchen floor and ended with my dear daughter vomiting over everything in sight. The exorcist has nothing on her when she gets going...

In between changing clothes (mine), babygros (dear daughter's), nappies and more, I managed to fit in a supermarket sweep of Sainsburys, a week's worth of washing and several hours of wasted time trying to get through to the Inland Revenue on the phone. In the end I had to go back in time to 1997 and send them a fax; very annoying.

The good news was that DS perked up considerably throughout the day and managed to end it in quite good spirits with the promise that we'll spend some time planting some bulbs in the garden tomorrow.