Minor delays due to non-availability of staff
In an effort to make Londoners happy about their rising cost of travel, Transport for London (who runs the tubes, buses, DLR, etc) now offers a texting service whereby you plug in the details of your daily commute (time and route) and they send you a text message with service updates. One would assume this is so you can plan alternative ways home if there's a problem (like a person under a train, for instance). This evening, though, I received a new one: 'District Line: Minor delays due to non-availability of staff...' - gotta love living in Europe!I am sitting on my sofa drinking a glass of wine from a bottle I have been saving 'for a special occasion.' It is not, in fact, a special occasion, but I have had the kind of day that can only happen on a Monday.
Work is out of control at the moment (more on that later) but the icing on the cake today was getting all of the way home, only to realize my house keys were not in my bag. I had actually taken them down at lunch to the man in the caravan downstairs to make a copy of the set...and forgot to pick them back up. It was nearly 8pm and he closes at 5:00. Shite. What's a girl to do? Tried to call my landlord...out of the country. Unfortunately, that was my first and last option. Oh how I miss being in a city where I would not only have a set of keys left with a friend in case of emergencies, but also someone I could call to help me! Talk about feeling sorry for myself. The only thing I could think to do was to call a locksmith.
I had to wait for an hour in the dark outside my flat. It was also windy, raining and 4-degrees, and I had forgotten my hat (it was Monday, after all...). He finally arrived and we learned the locks on my door were so good that he couldn't pick them. He had to drill through both locks, removing them altogether. More time...more money. As is now usual in this country, the 'estimate' miraculously doubled upon hearing my accent. 'Your locks in America are not as good as ours--they are much easier to pick--believe me, I know,' he said to me. I didn't question how he knew, but judging from the fact that it took us an hour to get in, I was somewhat comforted to know how good the locks actually were. It was nearly 10pm by the time I actually got in, half my door ruined--can't wait to fill my landlord in on this one... So I have now treated myself to a home-cooked plate of migas and a nice glass of wine 'for special occasions.'
I haven't posted lately, simply due to the fact I had nothing much exciting to share. I was sort-of given a new role at work, temporarily. Positioned to me as 'an opportunity' (I should have known better!!...) I have taken over another division while one of my colleagues is on maternity leave for 6 months. This is on top of my current job, and in typical frugal studio fashion, they're paying me not a penny more for my efforts. The 'opportunity' has turned out to be much more challenging than I had originally thought. I am working all of the hours under the sun, have had to make someone redundant and hire 2 others, sent off to glorious cities such as Leeds and Birmingham, and am left at the end of the day feeling a bit duped. Fun.
The good news is that Arsenal are doing well, I love my new neighbo(u)rhood, it has snowed a couple of times recently (the most snow in 10 years!), Adrian's got a job as a pilot for BMI Airways (see picture of his new 'toy' below, and one of my titles (Battlestar Galactica Season 2) has been shortlisted for the BVA Awards (like the BAFTAs, but for the video industry). We had to present to a panel of judges last week and found out yesterday the entries that were shortlisted. The actual awards ceremony is in late March - we're up against My Name is Earl and BBC's Planet Earth, but we already beat out Lost, so I am pleased. 'I am happy just to be nominated...' :-)
Party on...
posted by Eleanor @ 5:46 pm
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