I’ve made another foray into independence, or bankruptcy, although some say one will always lead to the other. Today I worked out how to use my credit card, on-line at least. It was the first time I have ever done so, but, while I cannot guarantee it won’t be my last, I won’t do it too often. I kind of find it scary: what if I find I can’t pay, and end up in debt? Are there still such things as debtors jails?

To be fair, it wasn’t a large purchase – less than twenty quid – but I thought it a decent skill to master. It’s silly: I can outline the base and superstructure of Marxism, differentiate between the szyuzhet and fibula in a film of the classical western paradigm, but I had never used a credit card. Well, today, that changed – I figured out how, all by my little athetoid self. It will certainly make buying birthday presents easier, for now I will not have to traipse to the shops. Mind you, shops are cheaper, and the gratification more immediate, and probably safer, but I was desperate to try it for myself. Huzzah!

However, I noted in the news today that ‘[a]fter 14 February some retailers may refuse to accept payment from people using chip and pin cards if they do not know their pin number.’ This may appear to be a good thing, but how are the likes of yours truly going to cope with punching numbers into those tiny key-pads? They do not appear to have key guards. Assuming that we get the shopkeeper to understand that we are intelligent, do we then relay our pin numbers through our communication aids, thereby broadcasting it for the entire shop to hear? Or do we have to try to punch it manually into the small grey box, which will mean endless tries, lasting about ten minutes each as you concentrate with all your might to hit the right button. I just hope there’s a backspace. I’m beginning to think this is a conspiracy, or at least discrimination through negligence, but at least I can now get stuff off the net.

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